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Signs of the Times, Vol. 29, No. 46.

JERUSALEM TO JOPPA BY RAILROAD

Signs of the Times

Nov 18, 1903

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Nov 18, 1903

JERUSALEM TO JOPPA BY RAILROAD.

By G.

IN Bible times and up to within a few years, people who traveled between Jerusalem and Joppa had to walk, or ride on some kind of animal. But it is not so now, for they can go “up to Jerusalem” or “down to Joppa” on the steam-cars. Joppa is now called Jaffa. It is on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea, and is about thirty miles from Jerusalem by the old road. The railroad line, however, is fifty-four miles long, because, in laying the track, it was necessary to wind around the hills in order to make the ascent to Jerusalem. There are 176 bridges on the road. Leaving Jaffa, the first station is Lydda, about twelve miles distant. Our illustration shows a section of the railroad track and a small train coming down from Jerusalem.
Modern Mode of Travel from Jerusalem to Joppa.
Modern Mode of Travel from Jerusalem to Joppa.
THE mention of Joppa and Lydda in connection with Jerusalem calls to mind some experiences in the ministry of the apostle Peter which the Lord thought it worth while to have recorded for our learning. “And it came to pass, as Peter went throughout all parts, he came down also to the saints that dwelt at Lydda. And there he found a certain man named Æneas, who had kept his bed eight years; for he was palsied. And Peter said unto him, Æneas, Jesus Christ healeth thee; arise, and make thy bed. And straightway he arose. And all that dwelt at Lydda and in Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord.”
“NOW THERE was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas [margin, Gazelle]; this woman was full of good works and almsdeeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days, that she fell sick, and died; and when they had washed her, they laid her in an upper chamber. And as Lydda was nigh unto Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men unto him, entreating him, Delay not to come on unto us. And Peter arose and went with them.”
“AND when he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber; and all the widows stood by him weeping, and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known throughout all Joppa; and many believed on the Lord.”
THIS is a brief narrative, and if one such occurrence should be heard of in these newsy days, there would be columns of reports about it. This humble apostle, in the simple garb of every-day life, bearing no outward sign of power or authority, just walked into the sick man’s room and spoke the name in which lies all power in heaven and in earth. He took no credit to himself, just kept self in the background, simply saying, “Jesus Christ healeth thee.” Then the paralytic of eight years’ affliction was immediately made whole. O what power there is in The Name, when it is given its rightful place “above every name!”
THEN this humble man of faith, this itinerant representative of the meek and lowly One—not the autocrat of the Vatican, attended by a military body-guard; not the self-styled “Elijah,”sounding a trumpet before him—is told of the death of a humble sister in Joppa, a missionary worker for the Master. It was twelve miles away, as the railroad now goes, and there was no railroad train or stage-coach. But what is that to the man accustomed to itinerant work on foot? The humble lay brethren had come for him, the call was of the Spirit of God.
ARRIVING at the house where the deceased sister lay, he is met by the testimonials of her Christian help work. The “widows” were bewailing the loss of a temporal benefactor. This was apparently the extent of their appreciation. So it seems to have been necessary for Dorcas to lay down her life in order to more effectually tender their hearts, and that the manifestation of the goodness of God in a more striking manner might show to them the real Source of all their blessings. Then, alone with the dead, the apostle presents the case to the Master whom he had learned both by faith and by experience to trust. Great was the victory when he “presented her alive” to the “saints and widows”—not merely that Dorcas was restored to them, but because “many believed on the Lord.”
BUT this is not all of Peter’s experience in Joppa. He “abode there many days,” and it was during this time that he experienced that wonderful vision which taught him and all the apostles a lesson that they had failed to learn before, altho the Lord, when present with them, had often repeated it to them. It was there, on the housetop of Simon the tanner, that in a vision he saw “as it were a great sheet, let down by four corners upon the earth; wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts and creeping things of the earth and birds of the heaven. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And a voice came unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, make not thou common.”
WHAT was the meaning of this vision? Was it that Peter should eat of every living creature on the earth? No; the lessons of the Spirit are spiritual. There is no doubt that Peter learned the lesson that God designed he should learn, and we can get that from Peter himself. At the house of Cornelius, two days afterward, when speaking to the company who had assembled to hear him, he said: “Ye yourselves know how it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to join himself or come unto one of another nation; and yet unto me hath God showed that I should not call any man common or unclean.” Soon afterward Peter attended a council of the apostles and brethren of Judea at Jerusalem. They had heard of his preaching to the Gentiles at Cæsarea, and called him to account for it. So Peter related all about the vision, and his visit and experience at the house of Cornelius, and how the Spirit had witnessed to his ministry there. And when the brethren heard it, they “glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also hath God granted repentance unto life.” And this is the lesson of the vision at Joppa.
YES, there are railroad facilities and other “modern improvements” at Joppa and Lydda and Jerusalem, but have these added anything to the power of the Gospel? Is there such manifestation of the Spirit at any of these places as there was when Peter and his fellow-workers walked from village to village and from city to city, sowing the precious seed as they went? Truly, in the providence of God the world is being covered with the facilities for a quick Gospel work, but are they being utilized as they might be for that purpose? In the judgment there will be an accounting as to why the Gospel made greater progress in the days when its messengers traveled afoot than it does with all the “modern improvements” at hand. Is it not strange that the adversary gets the principal use of the great inventions of men, for which God gave the wisdom? Surely the enemy could not achieve such usurpation without the co-operation of those who use the various means of travel and communication. G.

SEEKING A GIFT.

By Augusta W. Heald

WHEN the brave old warrior Caleb had driven out the sons of Anak, and taken the city of Hebron for his possession in the land of Canaan, he went up thence to another city, and said, “He that smiteth Kirjath-Sepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achsah my daughter to wife.” See Joshua 15:15-19.
Accordingly, when the young Othniel, Caleb’s nephew, had taken the city, his cousin Achsah was given him to wife. When Achsah came as a bride to Othniel, “she moved him to ask of her father a field.”
While she yet lingered, Caleb inquired of his daughter, “What wouldest thou?” Achsah replied, “Give me a blessing; for thou hast given me a south land; give me also springs of water. And he gave her the upper springs, and the nether springs.”
In eastern countries a well or spring of water was considered a priceless blessing, and Achsah, in obtaining this gift from her father, became a lasting benefactor to her family in all its generations.
This brief record contains a lesson for us. Does our life-lot seem to us a dry, southern field, barren and undesirable? It is our privilege to ask a blessing of our heavenly Father, who is even more ready to grant us good gifts than we are to ask them. We may ask and receive from Him the living water of the spring of salvation, of which if a man drink, he will never thirst for the unsatisfying draughts of earthly pleasure. But the living water which God gives through Christ Jesus will be in us a well of water springing up unto eternal life, and of which we may impart to others.
“God blesses us that we may be a blessing.” “Covet earnestly the best gifts.”
AUGUSTA W. HEALD.
Windham, N. H.

EFFECTUAL PRAYER.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
Prayer is not an expiation for sin. It is not a penance. We need not come to God as condemned criminals; for Christ has paid the penalty of our transgression. He has made an atonement for us. His blood cleanses from sin.
Our prayers are as letters sent from earth, directed to our Father in heaven. The petitions that ascend from sincere, humble hearts will surely reach Him. He can discern the sincerity of His adopted children. He pities our weakness, and strengthens our infirmities. He has said, “Ask, and ye shall receive.”
Many of the human family know not what they should ask for as they ought. But the Lord is kind and tender. He helps their infirmities by giving them words to speak. He who comes with sanctified desire has access through Christ to the Father. Christ is our Intercessor. The prayers that are placed in the golden censer of the Saviour’s merits are accepted by the Father.
Every promise in the Word of God is for us. In your prayers, present the pledged word of Jehovah, and by faith claim His promises. His word is the assurance that if you ask in faith, you will receive all spiritual blessings. Continue to ask, and you will receive exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think. Educate yourself to have unlimited confidence in God. Cast all your care upon Him. Wait patiently for Him, and He will bring it to pass.
We are to come to God, not in a spirit of self-justification, but with humility, repenting of our sins. He is able to help us, willing to do for us more than we ask or think. He has the abundance of heaven wherewith to supply our necessities. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” God is holy, and we must pray, “lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.”
We are to pray in the name of Christ, our Mediator. Our petitions are of value only as they are offered in His name. He has bridged the gulf that sin has made. By His atoning sacrifice, He has bound to Himself and His Father those who believe in Him. His is the only name under heaven whereby we may be saved.
God is our King, and we are His subjects. A mere knowledge of His will does not set aside the necessity of offering earnest supplications to Him for help, and of diligently seeking, by obeying His law, to co-operate with Him in answering the prayers offered. Thus His kingdom is established in our hearts.
“Seek ye the Lord while He may be found, call ye upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let them return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.” We are to seek “first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness.” We are to be ready to receive the blessing which God will bestow upon those who seek Him with the whole heart, in sincerity and truth. We must keepthe heart open, if we would receive of the grace of Christ.
In our prayers we are not to preach a sermon to the Lord. We need not tell him the history of our lives. We can tell Him nothing with which He is unacquainted. He knows our inmost thoughts. Every secret is open before Him. Nothing can be hid from Him.
High-flown language is inappropriate in prayer, whether the prayer be offered in the pulpit, in the family circle, or in secret. Especially should one use simple language when offering public prayer, that others may understand what he says, and unite with his petition.
God hears the prayers that are offered in the family circle, if they come from devoted hearts. Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.”
Do not neglect secret prayer. “Enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.”
We are not to be so overwhelmed with the thought of our sins and errors that we shall cease to pray. Some realize their great weakness and sin, and become discouraged. Satan casts his dark shadow between them and the Lord Jesus, their atoning sacrifice. They say, “It is useless for me to pray. My prayers are so mingled with evil thoughts that the Lord will not hear them.” These suggestions are from Satan. In His humanity, Christ met and resisted this temptation, and He knows how to succor those who are thus tempted. In our behalf, He “offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears.”
Many, not understanding that their doubts come from Satan, become faint-hearted, and are defeated in the conflict.
Do not, because your thoughts are evil, cease to pray. If we could in our own wisdom and strength pray aright, we could also live aright, and would need no atoning sacrifice. But imperfection is upon all humanity. Educate and train the mind that you may in simplicity tell the Lord what you need. As you offer your petitions to God, seeking for forgiveness for sin, a purer and holier atmosphere will surround your soul.
When you pray for temporal blessings, remember that the Lord may see that it is not for your good or for His glory to give you just what you desire. But He will answer your prayer, giving you just what is best for you.
When Paul prayed that the thorn in his flesh might be removed, the Lord answered his prayer, not by removing the thorn, but by giving him grace to bear the trial. “My grace,” He said, “is sufficient for thee.” Paul rejoiced at this answer to his prayer, declaring, “Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” When the sick pray for the recovery of health, the Lord does not always answer their prayer in just the way they desire. But even tho they may not be immediately healed, He will give them that which is of far more value,—grace to bear their sickness.
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.”

THE FUTURE PEACE AND GLORY OF THE CHURCH.

HEAR what God the Lord hath spoken:
“O, My people, faint and few, Comfortless, afflicted, broken, Fair abodes I build for you! Thorns of heartfelt tribulation Shall no more perplex your ways; You shall name your walls Salvation, And your gates shall be all Praise.
“There, like streams that feed the garden, Pleasures without end shall flow; For the Lord, your faith rewarding, All His bounty shall bestow; Still, in undisturbed possession, Peace and righteousness shall reign; Never shall you fear oppression, Hear the voice of war again.
“See no more your suns descending, Waning moons shall never see; But your griefs, forever ending, Find eternal noon in Me; God shall rise, and, shining o’er ye, Change to day the gloom of night; He, the Lord, shall be your glory, God your everlasting light.”
—Selected.

OUR HAVEN.

By Arthur Fox

“They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; these see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep. For He commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths; their soul is melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and He bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so He bringeth them unto their desired haven.” Ps. 107:23–30.
“THEIR desired haven,” is not an undiscovered country or a desolate coast chafed by storms and strewn with wrecks and lifeless bodies. Nor is it a bold, iron-bound shore, where mighty mountains rise, and mighty billows roar, to come too near to which is to be lost. No, it is none of these, but it is a haven in the fullest sense of the word! Entrance ample, water deep, anchorage secure, may be taken in all weathers; no blinding haze, no dreary night, no want, no sin. Ah, ’tis a desired HAVEN.
THE PILOT. He bringeth them; not, He driveth, as if behind; nor draweth, as if from some far-off spot, as the pole draws the needle of the compass by a cold and mighty attraction; but He bringeth as the reaper bringeth his sheaves; as the child bringeth the blind on their way, like darkness led by day; as the shepherd bringeth the sheep, or as the mother bringeth her babe, so Jesus bringeth His children into their desired haven.
O, then, let us praise God that we have such a blessed Pilot! He sounded the channel, took the bearings, mastered the details, made the chart, and now goes with the believer to perform the voyage. You ask who erected the beacon, placed the light-ship, anchored the buoy?—Christ, all Christ. When He came He found nothing done.
He did all, and did that all alone.
The great mass of humanity was drifting upon the seas to eternal ruin, without a pilot. Christians are but travelers; Jesus was the way-maker. They but pathfinders; He the path itself. While others slept, He prayed; while they scorned, He blessed; and when they took up stones He meekly asked: “For which of My good works do ye stone Me?”
O, Lamb of God, was ever pain, Was ever love like Thine?
He unites the pilot and commander in one, and never leaves nor forsakes His children. So put your trust in Him, for “He bringeth unto.” None founder under His command. No fog can baffle, no false signal can allure—’tis a friendly shore.
That is His way—not so short as you might like, nor so easy, but the true way, the sure way. Sometimes He brings to the wit’s end, makes men stagger, and the great billows which they think will bury them only lift them higher up into safety and peace. Often men can be brought to accept the Saviour in no other way than through trials.
Trials make the promise sweet; Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to His feet, Lay me low, and keep me there.
Christ leads by the way of His own walking as well as His own making, and His people, therefore, should not murmur, but follow in His steps.
Come to Him; trust in His death on the cross as an atonement for your guilt. Take Him for your guide and portion; “So an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:11.
St. Helena, Cal. ARTHUR FOX.

It Is Presumption to Pray for Healing When Knowingly Violating the Laws of Health

By W. S. Sadler

INEFFECTUAL PRAYER, OR PRAYER OF PRESUMPTION. NO. 2.

It Is Presumption to Pray for Healing When Knowingly Violating the Laws of Health.

“But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you; that He will not hear.” Isa. 59:2.
It is presumption to pray for deliverance from the bonds of affliction when “sin lieth at the door.” The individual who is knowingly and continuously violating the laws of health,—trampling under foot physical light and truth,—if he should pray for a special manifestation of divine healing, or if the elders of the church could be called to pray for him, such praying could only be the prayer of presumption. Says the Lord by Jeremiah the prophet: “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden good things from you.” Jer. 5:25. It is iniquity that turns away health, and it is sin that withholds healing. So it is but reasonable to expect that God will require that our iniquities and sins shall be taken out of the way before we can expect to observe the special workings of His healing power; and until these obstructions to health and life are removed, it is presumption to pray for the miraculous healing of the sick. As long as the healing power of God within the man is disregarded, ignored, and continuously hindered, it is presumption to pray for miraculous outbursts of health and arbitrary manifestations of healing power. A little common sense and sanctified judgment would go a long way toward clearing up many of the difficulties connected with the various phases of the great question of healing, and save honest souls from running off into fanaticism and accepting dangerous doctrines and erroneous teaching, under the guise of so-called divine healing.

Prayer Will Not Take the Place of Personal Obedience.

“Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword, go through the land; so that I cut off man and beast from it; tho these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters, but they only shall be delivered themselves. Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood, to cut off from it man and beast, tho Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter, they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness. For thus saith the Lord God: How much more when I send my four sore judgments upon Jerusalem, the sword, and the famine, and the noisome beast, and the pestilence, to cut off from it man and beast?” Eze. 14:17–21.
Praying will not take the place of yielding personal obedience to the righteous commands of God. In the Scripture above quoted, we are warned of a time coming when the overflowing scourge shall pass through the land; when pestilence, sword, and famine shall be upon the people, and we are expressly told that in that time even Noah, Daniel, and Job could not, by their prayers, stay the just judgments of God. There will be a time in the history of this world when even the prayers of righteous men will in this respect avail nothing; and that time comes in every individual’s experience when he presumes to think that prayer can atone for continued transgression, or in any sense take the place of personal obedience. Then his praying becomes an act of presumption and not an act of faith. The prayers of the children of God will not suffice to save the wicked from the results of their persistent transgression of the Divine laws. The Lord is doing the best He can for the impenitent sinner. God’s wrath is simply His love manifested to those who have rejected His mercy and truth. Prayer can not take the place of obedience, and only those who obey can pray the prayer of faith.

Prayer Will Not Take the Place of Confession and Repentance.

“If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” 2 Chron. 7:14.
Prayer that is preceded by repentance secures forgiveness and healing. Says the Psalmist, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” Ps. 66:18. No amount of praying will take the place of the confession and forsaking of sin. The transgressor must cease to do evil and learn to do well. Confession of sin accompanies the prayer of faith that saves the sick. See James 5:15, 16. “If thou prepare thine heart, and stretch out thine hands toward Him; if iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away, and let not wickedness dwell in thy tabernacles.” Job 11:13, 14.
San Francisco, Cal. W. S. SADLER.

The Soul Ripened Unto God

By Elkin

As THE grain's ripeness speeds it to the sod, And from its death springs life an hundred-fold, So shall the soul that ripens unto God Heavens' more abundant life forever hold. — Elkin.

XV. CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES VERSUS CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.

By J. A. L. Derby

HAVING followed to its logical consequences the first fundamental assumption of Christian Science, that God is all in all, we shall now test it Scripturally.
Anything less than such an affirmation of God's plenitude appeals superficially to most people as a dishonoring limitation thereof. But it is not ours to be wise above what is written; and if the Bible itself makes a different statement, it behooves us to heed the first law of true Scriptural interpretation, “Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding” (2 Tim. 2:7), instead of shuffling about in our mortal minds for some man-made metaphysical theory more acceptable to our finite reason.
The truth is, Holy writ does not declare that God is “all in all.” Let us notice the texts where this phrase is used. The first is in 1 Cor. 12:6. Beginning with verse four, we read:—
“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.”
It needs neither commentary nor metaphysician to explain that the first “all” in verse six means simply “all” the “diversities of operations” of the gifts of the Spirit in the church. The second “all” refers clearly and exclusively to members of the church, through whom the gifts are manifested. The application of the phrase is here evidently a very limited one, in no sense whatever discussing or deciding a question of the spirituality or the materiality of what we call the physical universe.
This would be sufficient on this text, but an equally strong point in it may be noticed: it reads not that God is all in all, but that He “worketh all in all.” Nothing but common sense is necessary to distinguish between working and being. To work and to be are not the same. A musician may work all the pedals and keys in a piano, and yet be neither the one nor the other. So God worketh in His people all the manifestations of the gifts.
The second text is Eph. 1:22, 23. The church “is His [Christ’s] body, the fullness of Him that filleth all in all.”
1. This speaks concerning Christ—not God.
2. The church is Christ’s body.
3. Christ fills all—not is all. To fill a vessel or the universe, is very different from to be a vessel or the universe. The Christian Scientist, in order to make this text teach his theory must cut two Gordian knots at one slash; first, assume that Christ was very God in every respect,—a doctrinal problem that ages of theology have not settled, and which it is certain no one but a theologian or a schismatic would ever imagine from a careful study of the scriptures; secondly, assume that to fill and to be are identical in meaning. But that is too glaringly gratuitous to need comment.
The third text is Col. 3:11. Beginning with verse nine we get the connection:—
“Lie not one to another, 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; where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free; but Christ is all, and in all.”
1. The new man is of Christ. Gal. 3:27;
2. To this new man there is neither race prejudice, difference in social conditions, nor caste.
3. To him Christ is all and in all, the only One who saves and guides to perfection and life.
And this question of character and Christ-likeness of disposition, is, forsooth, dependent upon your ability to persuade yourself that the “old man” is a deception. Does this text say that the “old man” is any less a substantial reality than the new man? Were the people drowned by the Noachian Flood mere chimeras of the imagination? Was the Deluge a nightmare of somebody suffering from imaginary water on the brain? For “mortal body and material man are delusions” according to Christian Science. The destruction of the Sodomites by fire was a wonderful demonstration of the power of Science to annihilate delusions. Does this Scripture contain the slightest intimation that Christ is the spiritual substance of the universe? Indeed the Bible seems to indicate that the “new man” is and always has been sadly in the minority in this present evil world; and we remember a text that says, “Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse.” The Scriptures certainly seem to regard evil about as real as good—at least until they are improved on by Christian Science. But this wonderful science interprets Christ the perfect “expressed” image of the divine Mind—the spiritual idea of God.
If this text teaches that Christ is the all in all of the Christian Scientists’ notion, then the “image,” the “reflection” takes precedence of the Being reflected. This would destroy their favorite assumption. But if anything were wanting to accomplish this entirely, it is found in our fourth and final text, 1 Cor. 15:28.
“And when all things shall be subdued unto Him [Christ], then shall the Son also Himself be subject unto Him [God] that put all things under Him [Christ], that God may be all in all.”
Verse 23 shows that this is something to be accomplished at the coming of Christ. For the sake of being all things to all men, that we may win all, we shall for the present adopt the Christian Scientist interpretation of this phrase. No informed adherent to their views will deny that the work of Christian Science is regarded by them as the second coming of Christ. Those curious about the matter may consult “Science and Health,” pp. 12, 43, 126. This being so, we ask:—
Has Science completed the renovation of the world?—Not yet.
Then, according to this text and their own interpretation, God is not yet all in all; for the “end” (verse 24) of the whole thing is, that then God is to be all in all—whatever this phrase may mean.
Therefore, the first fundamental proposition of Christian Science is not true. It is neither Christianity nor science.

All in All.

But what is the real meaning of this phrase as used in Holy Writ? In only one place in the Bible, the last text discussed, is God referred to as ever to be all in all. We have already shown the time of that great event to be after the second coming of Christ. If Christ has not yet so come, God is not all in all. Students of prophecy know perfectly that stupendous event has not yet taken place. If, then, God is not yet all in all, nothing is plainer than that these words have no reference to the elemental principle, the essence or substance, the composition, of so-called matter; nor is it discussing or stating the essential nature of the reality behind, or in, or making up, universal phenomena. The universe is; God is; but since the sacred Word itself shows that God is not yet all in all, either this phrase does not bear in Scripture the metaphysical meaning attached to it by Christian Science, which affirms that God is now all in all, or else Christian Science contradicts the Bible and is false. If false, it should be abandoned forthwith; if Christian Science gives it a meaning not attached to it in Scripture, then any philosophy built on that basis is a mere human fabrication, which it is an exceedingly wicked thing to teach as the very life and gist of Christ’s Gospel.
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Col. 2:8. “Keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called; which some professing have erred concerning the faith.” 1 Tim. 6:20, 21.

God All in All.

But there is an exalted truth in this phrase so grievously misapplied by Christian Science. God all in all! At the very repetition of it by a heart filled with divine love, a warmer glow, a sweeter joy, a grander symphony of love itself, floods in upon the soul. Its definition will never be complete, tho every lamb that skips the mead, and every bird that warbles notes of praise, and every blade of grass that springs to meet the fond caresses of the sun,and every fleecy cloud upon its mission, and “every creature which is in heaven, and on earth and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,” that offer praise and say, “Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever,”—tho each and all speak somewhat of its infinite import, yet shall eternity not exhaust its fulness. What is it?—Power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing gladly ascribed to God. What is it?—It is the joy unspeakable and full of glory, the martyr’s sacrifice, the missionary’s zeal; it is service, and worship, and thanksgiving, and praise; it is the sense of God and the utter loss of self in Him. It is what Paul meant when he said, “For me to live is Christ.” In vain he sought to tell it: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” It is not at all a question of philosophy or metaphysics; it is a thing of affection. A song of the heart shall teach us more than the science of the wise:—
“I entered once a home of care, For age and penury were there, Yet peace and joy withal; I asked the lonely mother whence Her helpless widowhood’s defense; She told me Christ was all.
Chorus:—
“Christ is all, all in all; Yes, Christ is all in all. Christ is all, all in all; Yes, Christ is all in all.
“I stood beside a dying bed, Where lay a child with aching head, Waiting the final call; I marked his smile, ’twas sweet as May, And as his spirit passed away, He whispered, ‘Christ is all.’
“I saw the martyr at the stake; The flames could not his courage shake, Nor death his soul appal; I asked him whence his strength was giv’n, He looked triumphantly to heav’n, And answered, ‘Christ is all.’
“I saw the Gospel herald go To Afric’s sand and Greenland’s snow, To save from Satan’s thrall; Nor home nor life he counted dear, ’Midst want and perils owned no fear; He felt that Christ is all.”
The allness of God is the sum of the heart’s affection; it is the absolute love of God. This is as much greater than a mere speculative question of the relation of matter and spirit as fulness of joy in God’s presence forevermore is greater than a mere abstraction.
No, brother scientist, we can not accept your first “fundamental proposition” with any such construction as you give it. We would God it were true of the universe, in its proper sense. We can agree with you when you say that God’s allness has nothing to do with matter, for it is of the mind and affections. But when you say this allness leaves no place for matter, we have only to remark that you go beyond that which is written, or what philosophy or science has determined.
J. A. L. DERBY.
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