Review and Herald, Vol. 92, No. 42. (8/26/1915)

Review and Herald

Aug 26, 1915

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 26, 1915

To Be a Minister

By Woodrow Wilson

WHEN I hear some of the things which young men say to me by way of putting the arguments to themselves for going into the ministry, I think that they are talking of another profession. Their motive is to do something, when it should be to be something. You do not have to be anything in particular to be a lawyer. I have been a lawyer, and I know. You do not have to be anything in particular, except a kind-hearted man, perhaps, to be a physician; you do not have to be anything, nor to undergo any strong spiritual change, in order to be a merchant. The only profession which consists in being something is the ministry of our Lord and Saviour—and it does not consist of anything else. It is manifested in other things, but it does not consist of anything else. And that conception of the minister which rubs all the marks of it off and mixes him in the crowd so that you cannot pick him out, is a process of eliminating the ministry itself.— Woodrow Wilson.

Convent Inspection

By C. M. S.

DURING the past few years efforts have been made in several State legislatures to pass bills requiring the official inspection of convents and such institutions as the House of the Good Shepherd. Wherever such bills have been proposed, the strongest possible objections have been raised; and these bills have been defeated in each case, we believe, except in Arkansas. Concerning the Arkansas law and its workings we quote from the Sunday Visitor (Catholic) of August 15:—

Texas with its tragedy and Arkansas with its Posey Bill may well sympathize with each other in the result of religious prejudices. Texas wisely profited by the shame of Arkansas, and did not pass a law of inspection.

Along with tested cattle and other red-taped objects, Mena [Ark.] takes front rank with the first officially inspected convent. The inspection took place recently; the result was most favorable to the academy. As far as St. Joseph’s Academy was concerned, all the opposition which resulted in the Posey Bill, was just a waste of time, energy, and money, except to bring greater glory to the school—exactly the opposite of the effect intended by the instigators of the bill.

It is a unique way of advertising the quality of Catholic school institutions. Now that the bill is passed, the sooner the law is put into use all over the State, the sooner the cobwebs of ignorance and prejudice will be wiped off the State of Arkansas, and the State will go forward in progressiveness, to take its proper place among the best ones of the nation.

That being the case, what valid objection can there be to a law in each of the States which will do the same for the convents therein that is being done in Arkansas? The result was “most favorable” in Arkansas. It brought “greater glory” to the school. It advertised “the quality of Catholic school institutions,” and is expected to result in wiping “the cobwebs of ignorance and prejudice” “off the State of Arkansas,” so that “the State will go forward in progressiveness, to take its proper place among the best ones of the nation.” Surely such beneficial results ought not to be overlooked in planning for the future welfare of the church in this country. If that be a true statement of the results flowing from the Arkansas convent inspection law, the Catholic Church in America ought to encourage the enactment of such laws. Is she doing it?—No. Would the writer of the above article vote for such a law?—No; for he says: “Texas wisely profited by the shame of Arkansas, and did not pass a law of inspection.” Such statements are very difficult to harmonize. They partake of the same characteristics as the statements of the liquor dealers who denounce prohibition because it “does not prohibit,” and then do all they can against prohibitory legislation lest it should prohibit. In the mind of the writer above quoted, it is a shame for the State of Arkansas to compel the Catholic Church to do that which is to its greater glory and advantage. We must be excused if we fail to see either logic or sincerity in the position taken and the statements made by the Roman Church upon this question. C. M. S.

A Specimen Fool

The Scriptures of Truth give us God's definition of a fool. “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” Under the above heading Dr. George S. Chadbourne, in Zion's Herald for March 31, gives an example of this class of fools in the words of a certain clergyman who, on the first Sunday after his ordination, expressed his view of God in the following language:—

For example, the faith that there is a personal God, a great Companion that watches over us, seems impossible today to many intelligent minds. Perhaps the word God will come to be understood to be a synonym of the word universe. It is natural, if not inevitable, that the infinite energy which actuates all things should be personified in common speech, and doubtless we shall continue to speak of God as a personal Father, even if we come to think that there is no God except the universe itself. Faith in the goodness of God becomes to the modern mind the conviction that the universe is such that human ideals are attainable. That conviction seems impregnable, though the Father God of Jesus suffer the fate of the numerous other God-conceptions that have retreated before the advancing light of human knowledge.

Although uttered by a professed Christian minister and from a Christian pulpit, these words express the rankest infidelity. They reveal in a measure the inroads which atheism is making in the great Christian church. It is sad to consider, but it is nevertheless true, that there are many other professed ministers of the gospel who have expressed similar sentiments, and who would approve this profession of disbelief in the actuality of God's existence. The avowal of such sentiments in the sight of God is counted foolishness, and in the last great day, when he arises to judge the inhabitants of the earth, the true estimate of these principles as compared with the principles of eternal truth will appear to all men. Let us patiently abide that day, in the meantime endeavoring to save our fellows from the great maelstrom of infidelity and of rejection of God.

Can We Understand the Book of Revelation?

This question was raised by a reader of the Sunday School Times in that paper of June 24. To the inquiry the editor makes the following excellent rejoinder:—

There is only one book in the entire Bible of which the Holy Spirit has spoken this impressive word: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein.” God has said that only of the book of Revelation. He promises a special blessing to those who read, and hear, and keep the things of which this book tells. Would it not seem to be worth our while to give very special attention to a book of the Bible to which God has called our attention in such an unmistakable way? The fact that a clear understanding of the fundamental message of this book will be accompanied by a special blessing from God is undoubtedly the reason why Satan wants to keep men from reading it, and has so remarkably succeeded in keeping them from it.

There will still be unsolved mysteries in the book of Revelation. Some things undoubtedly are described there which cannot be fully understood until the fulfillment of the prophecy referring to them is either nearer at hand or actually occurring. But the central message of the book, and many of its details, are intended for the clear understanding of the ordinary, inexpert reader of the English Bible today. And life will take on a richness it never had before when we let our Lord show us what he has for us in this book.

EDITORIALS

By C. M. S.

Nineveh and Our Day

THE decision of the great Judge is primarily against sin. The sinner finds it to be against him because he has identified himself with sin and become a part of it. Because of the wickedness of Nineveh, God decreed the utter destruction of that great city, and Jonah was sent to apprise the Ninevites of their impending doom. As God's mouthpiece, Jonah spoke the decree of the sin-hating Judge against the city and its sin-loving inhabitants.

Then the Ninevites awoke to the terrible reality of their condition, and sought God that the overwhelming calamity might not fall upon them to blot them out of existence. In sackcloth and ashes they put away sin, and laid their confession and their plea before “the Judge of all the earth.” They had merited death, but the Judge was also the pitying Father; and repentance, the forsaking of sin, and the plea for pardon saved them in the hour of their great need. God had not changed; but the Ninevites had. He was still the same just Judge, the same pitying, compassionate, loving Father; and such he is today.

God has condemned and decreed judgment upon sin, and the penalty is soon to be executed. It will fall upon every individual who refuses to part from his sin and seek righteousness. The Ninevites did so, and were spared. The inhabitants of earth today may learn a lesson in wisdom from the children of Nineveh, and by following their example, may have the gracious gift of eternal life.

Seventh-day Adventists are giving today to the people of this world a message similar to that which Jonah bore to the inhabitants of that now long-buried city. The destruction of the sinners of this world and of the world which has been steeped in sin has been decreed. Now, as then, the door of repentance is open, and they who will may find shelter in an eternal city of refuge. There was nothing for Jonah but to bear the message given him to carry to that people. Likewise there is nothing for us to do but to give the warning message of the third angel and let its reception witness for or against those who hear. The obligation resting upon us is no whit less than that which rested upon him. He could not be excused from bearing his testimony; no more can we. Many men have scoffed at, or laughed at, the record of Jonah; but that reluctant witness against a sinful people will stand exonerated in the judgment before the thousands who have made light of his experience.

Beyond the message that Jonah gave, there was to be nothing but destruction. So with the message due at this time. Then it was the destruction of a city with its people; now it is to be the destruction of a world with its people. If the message committed to Jonah was important, how much more the message committed to this people! Repentance then saved to temporal life; repentance now saves to life eternal. Wise are they who heed this message, and wise are those who do not refuse to give it.

C. M. S.

“A Sobering Situation” Emphasized

By F. M. W.

THREE months ago there appeared in these columns an article under the above-quoted heading. At that time we said, “If there ever occurred in the history of mankind a situation to cause sober thought and serious reflection, it is the one presented before us today.” Our words were true then, and they are even more strikingly true at the present time; for during the last three months the world has been enduring a situation which grows more terrible with the passing of every day and hour.

The Harvest of Death

The great war, the like of which was never seen among the nations of men, involving directly the most stable governments of the Old World, and indirectly and in some manner every nation under heaven, is being carried forward with relentless fury and unceasing energy. This war of wanton destruction has cost the nations more than fifteen billion dollars — as much as all the wars which have darkened the pages of history. It is estimated by the New York Independent, which has made up its figures from official statistics and the estimates of the Red Cross and other relief organizations, that nearly ten million men have been killed, wounded, and taken prisoners. Thousands upon thousands of homes have been desolated.

Dr. John R. Mott, of missionary fame, reports that during eight days of one engagement one nation alone sent to the rear three thousand railroad cars loaded with wounded men. He says that thirty-one relatives of a friend in Europe enlisted in the war. Of these nine had been killed or seriously wounded. This is doubtless a fair illustration of the fatalities which have occurred in many family groups represented in this terrible conflict. In those homes where the family circle remains unbroken, there is only anxious concern over those who have gone to the front, and whose lives are in constant peril.

A Cross of Suffering

And those who fall in the conflict constitute some of the best blood of the Old World nations. Dr. Mott states that one half of the students of the University of Toronto, Queen’s University, and McGill University in Canada volunteered for service. In England fifty-six per cent of the students volunteered, and ninety per cent of the officers of the Y. M. C. A. Thousands of German, French, Russian, and Italian students have done the same. Upon the civilian population untold suffering has been entailed. Tens of thousands have been driven from their homes as wandering refugees. Cities have been desolated; large, fruitful areas of country have been turned into desolate fields; the churches, libraries, and noted works of art have gone down before the onsweep of mighty forces. Schoolhouses, theaters, and public buildings of all sorts have become improvised hospitals for the care of the wounded. Words are powerless to describe the sorrow and suffering, wreck and ruin, which have been wrought by the twelve months of bloody conflict. Europe has been crucified on a cross of steel.

And the end is not yet. If possible, the contestants seem even more determined. Where it will all end and when it will end, and how differences will be adjusted, only the great Ruler of the universe knows.

Danger of Deadening Sensibilities

The international situation is so momentous and all-absorbing that we pass

by with but a moment’s consideration itself some of the lesser but significant conditions of distress and disaster which are daily occurring. The sensibilities are becoming deadened. The sinking of the “Lusitania” sent a thrill of horror through many hearts, but that is only one incident in the great struggle. Every day the battle front witnesses the snuffing out of many more lives than went down on the “Lusitania.” The overturning of the “Eastland” in Chicago sent into a watery grave more than a thousand human beings, spreading a pall of gloom over that great Western city. And the horror of it still lives in the memory of those who witnessed the death struggle, and of those who were bereft of friends and kindred. But with the great multitude it was a mere incident compared with the greater and more terrible situation existing in Europe. We are told that floods in China a few days ago sent to premature death more than a hundred thousand persons, producing famine conditions which are entailing much suffering on many thousands more. Ordinarily this would have been looked upon as a great disaster; but how insignificant it appears compared with the greater things which are taking place before us!

The situation in Mexico, taken by itself, without the grave international complications, would command the attention of the world; but it is of little interest to those not directly concerned in the outcome of affairs in that unhappy republic.

The Lesson of the Hour

Surely we have fallen upon evil times. And we know not what a day may bring forth in the history of mankind or in our own personal experience. These conditions constitute the call of Heaven to the children of men. We should read in them the ominous signs of the times. We should be admonished by them to a new consecration of heart to the only One who can keep us amid the perils of these last days.

In the war zones of Europe every man is supposed to take his stand on the issues involved. Among its citizens no country can afford to recognize neutrals. The man who does not stand actively in sympathy with the position taken by the government under which he lives is supposed to be opposed to the objects of that government, and is treated as an enemy.

No Neutrals in Christian Warfare

A crisis has come not only in the affairs of nations, but in the affairs of men and individuals. The church of God today is passing through a great crisis. As never before, it is being subjected to the testing process. God calls upon every one of his children in this crisis to take his stand resolutely and unfalteringly upon the side of God. The controversy of the ages, which began in heaven itself, is to be fought out here on this earth in our day. Whether we would or not, we are participants in this controversy. We cannot escape responsibility. We cannot stand aloof and proclaim our neutrality, as we can in the great international conflict now going forward. The man who is not actively enrolled under the banner of Prince Immanuel is counted by Heaven as belonging to the powers of darkness. Where do you stand in this conflict?

When a crisis arose in the church in the days of Moses, the Lord required an alignment of Israel. “Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord’s side? let him come unto me.” The circumstances and conditions we face today bring this same question to every reader of this paper. Are we God’s men and women, or are we Satan’s? Have we enlisted whole-heartedly in God’s work, and are we bending every energy to promote the interests of his kingdom, or are we listless and indifferent? If men today are willing to sacrifice for their country, if they will forsake home and friends and pleasant surroundings and go to the trenches and under circumstances of the greatest distress and suffering live and labor and fight and die for the sake of a worldly cause and of a worldly sovereign, what should be expected of the soldiers of Jesus Christ?

On Whose Side Do You Stand?

In this conflict between truth and error we know positively on which side victory will turn. We cannot marvel that the small states of Europe hesitate about casting their lot on one side or the other of the present conflict. They know not which will be the gainers or the losers. They fear their decision may place them on the losing side, and that in the final settlement they may be entirely swallowed up. No such contingencies exist in the Christian warfare. We know that truth will triumph. We know that victory will turn on the side of Israel and Israel’s God. We know that Satan and all his host will be cast into the lake of fire and forever destroyed. Surely we shall be left without excuse in the last great day if we fail to take our stand resolutely and fearlessly on the side of God and right.

The situation before us should bring to every one soberness of thought. How can we go on lightly and indifferently when the whole world, comparatively, is in a death struggle and tens of thousands are in heartbroken mourning? In that terrible condition we should read the signs of the times, the omens of the end of all things. And while there is still granted us a period of probation, we should make the most of our opportunities by placing ourselves in that relationship to God where there will be no question regarding our loyalty to his service. On whose side do you stand? Under whose banner are you enrolled?

F. M. W.

Signs of the Approaching End

By W. A. S.

Part 6. General World Conditions and Movements

From the specific signs in the heavens, which were to herald the coming of the latter days and awaken the church to look for its coming Lord, our Saviour’s prophecy passed on to designate certain general conditions in the world which were to continue until the great day of God should come. He said:—

“And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars,” and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.” Luke 21: 25-27.

Among developments of these times which are contributing to the “distress of nations, with perplexity,” we may list the following:—

1. Signs in the Political World—the Arming of the Nations

Following on closely with the signs in the heavens, there came the awakenings to national aspirations and rivalries in Europe, out of which has grown the arming of the nations. The beginning of the modern race of armaments may be dated from those stirring and eventful years of 1830 to 1848. We have seen the resources of the soil and the inventive genius of man devoted to preparations for war on a scale never before thought of. The prophet Joel foretold these conditions in the last days:—

“Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles [“the nations,” Revised Version]; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up: beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. . . . Let the heathen be awakened. . . . Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision [or “cutting off”]: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision.” Joel 3: 9-14.

Another prophecy forewarns us of the “peace and safety” cry that is to be heard as the end draws near, and we are told that many people in the last days will be saying that swords are to be beaten into plowshares, and the nations cease from war (Isa. 2: 3, 4); but the actual conditions are repeatedly described in prophecy as warlike and perilous. Thus the revelator saw the closing days:—

“And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servantsthe prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Rev. 11: 18.

What we see among the nations proclaims the approaching end.

2. Signs in the Social World

A New Testament prophecy of the latter days tells us:—

“In the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.” 2 Tim. 3: 1-4.

“Unrestrained passion for pleasure,” said M. Comte, editor of the French Relèvement Social, writing just before the European war, is bringing a terrible train of evils into modern society. Along with it he put “the hunt for money without regard for means,” adding:—

“This is the theme which manufacturers, business men, men in the public administration, continually harp on with ever the same conviction and ever the same wealth of proof.

“The note is ever the same, and the conclusion identical: Nous sommes perdus! [We are lost!]”—Quoted in Record of Christian Work, July, 1914.

Many agencies for social and temperance reform are rendering the greatest human service; but for lost humanity the only hope is Christ, the divine Saviour. With an urgency born of the last call, his gospel is sounding to a world on the verge of eternity. Yet with divine love longing to save, the world sweeps on, less and less mindful of eternal interests. Christ’s prophecy foretold it as it is:—

“But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” Matt. 24: 37-39.

The “perilous times” have come, when, as never before, we are bidden to watch and pray lest the day find us unprepared.

W. A. S.

(To be concluded)

God’s Test of Man’s Loyalty

By C. M. S.

God warns his people in the last days in regard to the fall of a power, or institution, which he calls Babylon. That power is the mother of idolatry, and God has decreed the limit of its duration. Says the prophet: “In one day shall her plagues come, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire; for strong is the Lord God who judged her.” Rev. 18: 8. The execution of that decree closes the career of Babylon.

But in the overthrow of Babylon there is the overthrow of everything that goes to make up Babylon—all the institutions, all the influences, all the men and women who have accepted its principles, all the nations that have forgotten God. In view of this, it means everything to us to know whether we are standing on the side of Babylon or on the side of God. We can know this by knowing what Babylon means and what it stands for. Babylon means confusion. God called it that. It meant that and was called that because it sought to frustrate the ways of God and substitute its own way. Such a course has always brought confusion. It did so in heaven, and it could do no less here. Let us not forget these two characteristics of Babylon: opposition to God’s way, and choosing its own way.

God’s law and God’s way are one and the same. God’s law condemned idolatry. Babylon broke the law, and taught the world to bow down to images of wood and stone and gold and silver; to worship the winds and the trees, and to pour out libations to the gods of the sea.

God’s law established the Sabbath and commanded its observance. Modern Babylon has taught the world—and is still teaching it—to trample upon that institution and choose another to take its place. God indicated his way in this matter; Babylon chose her own way; and God, in his last warning message to this world, is calling men out of Babylon and back to his appointed way: “I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.” Rev. 18: 4.

The law of God, then, is the great test to determine what is Babylon and who are of Babylon; for God condemns her because of her attitude toward his law. “Her sins,” he says, “have reached even unto heaven;” and he plainly declares that “sin is the transgression of the law.” As he condemns her for her opposition to his law, so will he condemn us if we allow ourselves to be deceived into taking that same attitude toward that law. They who obey God’s call to come forth from her will be those of whom it is said, “Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus;” and of that same company it is also said, “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. 22: 14.

This company will not be overwhelmed in the overthrow of Babylon, for they have ranged themselves on the side of God and his law. There are only two classes, the saved and the lost, the followers of Christ and the followers of Babylon, and man’s attitude toward the law of God determines to which class he belongs. That is the test by which we prove ourselves loyal or disloyal, God’s friends or his enemies. Christ said, “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Christ spoke the law of ten commandments.

God has only one truth for the world, only one gospel, only one light, only one way, only one law. It is possible to be considered as keeping the law of God in spirit when we, through ignorance, have broken the letter. Many who had witnessed for God with their lives had broken the letter of the fourth commandment; but the sin of ignorance God passed over. They had never seen the light of that requirement. It is the attitude that God looks upon, the willingness of heart to do what he requires, regardless of consequences; but he to whom the light has come has not that cloak to cover his failure. He must stand or fall according to the attitude which he has assumed toward God’s law. Babylon falls because she opposed that law and chose her own way in opposition to it. But this is what the psalmist says of those who have not followed in her footsteps: “Blessed are they that are perfect in the way, who walk in the law of Jehovah.” Ps. 119: 1. C. M. S.

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