p. 15 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 21, No. 37. (9/19/1895)

CHRIST, OUR ADVOCATE

His Ministry in the True Tabernacle

An up-to-date pamphlet on the work of Christ in the sanctuary in Heaven. Bible Students’ Library No. 128, Fully illustrated. Paper covers. Price, 10 cents.

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AD LUCEM.

This is a little book of consolation for those who are “afflicted in mind, body, or estate.” The selections are brief, and as the compiler says, quoting from George Herbert, “a verse may finde him who a sermon flies.”

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NEWS AND NOTES

SINCE OUR LAST ISSUE.

FOREIGN.

—Ex-queen Liliuokalani has just been pardoned, together with several other political prisoners, by the Hawaiian Government.

—On September 10 the Pacific liner Belgic, of the Occidental and Oriental Company, went ashore at Sunosaki, Japan. No lives were lost, and the ship may be floated off the rocks.

—A despatch states that ten persons were killed and 300 head of cattle lost in an avalanche which occurred at Spialmatle, Switzerland, on September 11. Two square miles of land were covered by the slide.

—During 1894 the total exports of Japan amounted to $57,529,011, and the imports, $59,680,833. Of the exports $22,009,366 worth were sent to the United States, which sent in return goods to the value of only $5,579,139.

—A despatch from Honduras states that the heaviest earthquake ever experienced in that country has visited the vicinity of Yetapan. The disturbance was accompanied by volcanic eruption in the mountains. It is believed that over three hundred people perished.

—The French in Madagascar are now said to be half way to the capital from the coast, with the most difficult portion of the fight before them, and only a few weeks before the rainy season. The Hovas expect to concentrate their forces at this point, and it is rumored that, should the French succeed in forcing a passage, the capital, Antananarivo will be burned.

—Official reports published in Russia state that during the year ending May, 1895, 11,500 persons of both sexes were deported to Siberia. Of this number 2,500 men received their sentence by “administrative process,” that is, without trial, by the arbitrary decree of some official. It is also stated that 3,600 women and children, of the families of the convicts, have voluntarily followed their husbands and fathers into exile.

—A commission from the American Board of Foreign Missions is now on its way to Japan to settle the troubles of missions in that country. It seems that new Japan objects to be called heathen, and very delicate problems are consequently before the local missionaries for solution. Also property must be entered in the name of a native resident, and while heretofore there has been no trouble in controlling it by the real owners, the natives are now proposing home control. This phase of the case, it is said, together with other problems, seriously affects the future of missionary work in Japan.

DOMESTIC.

—The latest report from the Cuban rebellion announces two important victories for the insurgents.

—A disastrous fire in San Jose, Cal., on September 8, destroyed property valued at several hundred thousand dollars.

—Fifty thousand Grand Army men and Confederate veterans recently engaged in a grand parade and reunion at Louisville, Ky.

—The Catholic University of Washington, D. C., has thrown its doors open to women. They will, however, not be matriculated, or given degrees.

—By the explosion of sixty pounds of powder in a caisson at Louisville, Ky., on September 11, four members of the Louisville Legion of the army were blown to pieces.

—On September 11 two passenger trains on the Great Northern Railroad came together in a head-end collision near St. Cloud, Minn. Five persons were killed and over a dozen severely injured.

—A Hyde Park (Ill.) Methodist minister a few days ago received a blessing from Mgr. Satolli, in the name of the pope. He is reported to be proud of it, but will not discuss the point of when he expects to join the Catholic Church.

—A gang of white mill men fired into a car in which were sleeping thirty negro hands, on the night of September 8, near Westville, Fla., killing two outright, and wounding a number of others, some of whom will probably die from the injuries received.

—A disastrous forest fire some two miles wide has been raging for a week or more in Southern New Jersey, doing great damage to timber and country property. The towns of Egg Harbor City, May’s Landing, McKee City, Bakersville, and Somers Point have had close calls, and the people all along the line have fought a desperate battle with the flames.

—On the 8th inst. 600 pounds of dynamite exploded in a dwelling house at Spechts Ferry, Iowa, killing five persons, four of them members of one family. The accident is supposed to have been caused by one of the boys shooting at a mark with a gun near the house.

—Pontiac, Mich., is trying the local benefits of a strict Sunday law. Restaurants, saloons, tobacco stands, candy stores, etc., are closed on Sunday, and petitions are being circulated to close livery stables, and also to prevent the distribution of milk and ice on that day.

—There has just been dedicated at St. Paul, Minn., the Hill Seminary, built by a half-million-dollar gift from President J. J. Hill, of the Great Northern Railway. Over twenty thousand people attended the celebration of pontifical high mass, which was conducted by Mgr. Satolli.

—Two boys, aged 12 and 13 years, are in jail at Tallahassee, Fla., for brutally murdering a playmate aged 10. They tied him to a tree, cut him with knives in a frightful manner, and left him. When found he was barely able to tell the story before he died. The boys at first denied the deed, but afterwards confessed.

Interlinear Greek-English New Testament

With the Authorized Version conveniently printed in the margin for ready reference, together with the various readings of the Greek text of the editions of Elzevir 1624, Griesbach, Lachman, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford, and Wordsworth.

LOVE,

Bible scholars know should replace the word “charity” in 1st Corinthians XIII. There are thousands of similar instances. In all such instances that other word, “the word that illumines,” may be found at a moment’s notice, and on the instant in the INTERLINEAR NEW TESTAMENT.

The text is well printed, with a PROPERLY ACCENTED GREEK TEXT, and where the arrangement of the word-for-word rendering is likely to be mistaken by a person unacquainted with the Greek idiom, the words are numbered to assist the student. It will be of real help to any Bible student.

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THE LAW OF GOD

As Changed by the Papacy.

Here we have arranged the papal assumptions and admissions side by side with the law of God. These selections are all taken from works of acknowledged authority among the Catholics, and are therefore valuable for reference. Price of cloth, $1.00; paper, 5½x8½ in., per 100, 50c. Address Pacific Press Publishing Co., Oakland, Cal., or 43 Bond St., New York City, or 18 West 5th St., Kansas City, Mo.

THE TALENTS.

By Milton C. Wilcox

By M. C. Wilcox. A brief essay on “The Parable of the Talents,” showing that the talents represent the various gifts of the Spirit which God bestows as he will upon those who are consecrated to him, with the duties and blessed privileges involved therein. Bible Students’ Library, No. 77; 16 pp., price 2 cents.

The Saints' Inheritance (Spanish Tract Contents)

“The Saints' Inheritance.” (Spanish.) Contents: 1. The Inheritance of the Saints. 2. The Millennium, or the Reign of a Thousand Years. 3. The End of the Wicked. 4. Immortality through Christ. 5. The Importance of the Prophecies. 6. The Hope of the Christian. 7. The Judgment. Paper; price, 5 cents. Address, PACIFIC PRESS PUBLISHING CO., Oakland, Cal.

THE ATONEMENT.

The author, in a book of 368 pages, takes up this great central doctrine of the gospel, and treats it in two parts. Part first,

An Atonement Consistent with Reason.

In this he shows that the doctrine of an atonement through the medium of a voluntary substitute is consistent with reason. Part second,

The Atonement as Revealed in the Bible.

In this is discussed the plan of redemption through Christ, by which every sinner who accepts Christ will be justified; sin will be turned back upon the head of its originator; the earth will be cleansed from the curse; God's righteous government will be restored over the entire universe; and all who will not become loyal subjects of that government will be destroyed.

The book presents a CRITICAL AND EXHAUSTIVE TREATISE on this interesting subject, by a thorough Bible student, and wholly from a Bible standpoint, and cannot fail to be of great value to everyone who reads it.

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HERE AND HEREAFTER.

An exhaustive treatise on the “State of the Dead,” and the “Destiny of the Wicked.” Has man a conscious existence in death? This is a question of the deepest interest, especially in these days when Spiritualism, in its varied forms, is spreading its deception everywhere.

The subject is treated in

THIRTY-SEVEN CHAPTERS.

All the important texts bearing on man's nature and his condition in death are taken up and critically examined; as are also those which relate to soul and spirit.

THE CLAIMS OF PHILOSOPHY,

in which the immortality of the soul is discussed from a philosophical standpoint.

A chapter is devoted to a HISTORICAL VIEW of the subject, in which the history of the doctrine of the immortality of the soul is traced from the earliest ages down to the present time. The work closes with a chapter on the

INFLUENCE OF THE DOCTRINE,

in which it is shown that many have been driven into infidelity by the doctrine of Eternal Torment, a doctrine which is inconsistent with the character of God and contrary to the teachings of the Scriptures.

The book contains 443 pages, is bound in extra fine English cloth, and is embossed in black and gold.

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A TEXT-BOOK ON BIBLICAL HISTORY.

Especially prepared for the use of Students and Teachers of the Bible, and for Sabbath-School Instruction.

CONTAINING

Maps, Plans, Review Charts, Colored Diagrams,

And Illustrated with Accurate Views of the Principal Cities and Localities known to Bible History.

The following is a condensed Table of Contents:

Chart of Bible History. The Old Testament World. Ancient World, and Descendants of Noah. Physical Palestine. The Journeys of the Patriarchs. Palestine before the Conquest. Lands of the Sojourn and Wanderings. The Conquest of Canaan. Palestine among the Twelve Tribes. Palestine under the Judges. The Kingdom of Saul. The Empire of David and Solomon. Ancient Jerusalem. Modern Jerusalem. The Environs of Jerusalem. The Division of Solomon's Empire. The Great Oriental Empires. The Roman Empire. New Testament Palestine. The Life of Christ. Early Apostolic History. Journeys of the Apostle Paul. The Isles of Greece and the Seven Churches. The Tabernacle. The Temple. Lessons in the Geography of Palestine. The Measures of the Bible.

This is no doubt the best Geography for the price ever published, and should be in the hands of every Bible student. 158 pages, size about 10 x 12 inches. Bound in stiff board covers. Price, post-paid, $2.00. Address all orders to

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Well, Is It Not So?

The editor of a religious paper, the Baptist Flag, issues a “counterblaste” against Seventh-day Adventists and a book published by them. To show the evil character of the book he quotes the following, from pages 144, 145:—

“7. In what condition are the thoughts of the dead? “His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish.” Ps. 146:4.

“8. Do the dead know anything? “For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” Eccl. 9:5.

“9. What part, if any, do they take in earthly things? “Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion forever in anything that is done under the sun.” Eccl. 9:6.”

Now here are direct questions and direct Bible answers. What fault is to be found with the questions? Has not any man a right to ask them, even as thousands are asking them? And does not the Bible answer them? Well, is not that so which the Bible teaches? And yet he calls this book “abominable.” This good editor further says in referring to a Chicago criminal:—

“Holmes recently said, I am a believer in the teachings of Tom Paine and Ingersoll. That is, he believes that man has no soul. It seems he and the Seventh-day Adventists hold pretty much the same doctrine—that there is to be no punishment after death. Infidelity, whether it is the name of religion, or outspoken, promotes crime.”

Now this editor did know the teaching of Seventh-day Adventists, or he did not. If he did not, he should not have so represented them. If he did know, he stated an absolute untruth. See “Bible Readings,” the book referred to above, pages 75–79, 138–148. But we are glad to believe that this writer does not represent all Baptists. He who is in a good cause can afford to be fair. But it is not our general purpose to notice such tirades. When these things are brought to the notice of our friends, let them refer the questioner to the writings of Seventh-day Adventists and the word of God.

THE CONDITION AND THE REMEDY.

By W. N. G.

The people of the United States have complained bitterly of hard times for the past three or four years, but their experience is also that of many other countries. In fact, our worst times compare favorably with the best that many other peoples have seen for centuries. Thousands of reasons are assigned for the deplorable condition of affairs generally, and many remedies are suggested. One party or class lays the blame upon another, and all classes are looking to political methods and human law to pave the way to better times. Even the religious world is invoking the power of secular authority, through the corrupt medium of common politics, to bring about better spiritual conditions and to elevate the church. Few seem to realize that the world's crisis is at hand, that the judgments of the Lord are already working in the earth, that the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. This old sin-cursed earth is wearing out; the cup of iniquity of its sin-deluded inhabitants is about full. “As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” Luke 17: 26-30. This world will not grow better. The ruling characteristic in the natural human heart is selfishness. Thus mankind in the natural state can not be united in congenial effort to ameliorate the general fallen condition of the race. The tendency is downward, and man can not lift himself up. There is no salvation from hard times, or any of the results of sin, excepting in Christ. He is the ark of safety from the impending doom. There is no salvation in politics; there is no salvation in labor unions, or any other confederacy of man's invention. A “better day is coming,” but it is only for those who take refuge in Christ. “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Heb. 4: 16. W. N. G.

The Fear of the Lord and True Courage

“The fear of the Lord is” not only “the beginning of wisdom” (Ps. 111:10), but it is the beginning of true courage. To fear God is to keep his commandments, and this “is the whole duty of man.” Eccl. 12:13. The keeping of the commandments of God is also the manifestation of perfect love, for all the law hangs on this: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind,” and, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matt. 22:37, 39. “Love is the fulfilling of the law.” Rom. 13:10. “This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” 1 John 5:3. This is perfect love, and “perfect love casteth out fear.” Then the man who fears God will not fear what man can do to him.

A SYMPOSIUM NUMBER.

The Holy Scriptures, the word of God, will be the prominent subject considered in the Signs of the Times of next week. The great subject will be treated under the following heads, by experienced Bible students:—

The Scripture Canon.

The Inspiration of the Scriptures.

The Incarnate Word.

The Word Came through Christ.

The Word, How Understood.

The Power of the Word.

The Word in Us.

These articles will occupy the space now given to Editorial and General Articles. This number will be illustrated with appropriate and original cuts, illustrative of the subject. It is hoped that it will not only be an interesting paper, but that it will bear to many thousands a soul-saving message.

HOW SUNDAY LAWS WORK.

THE trial of Brother Faust in Baltimore, for doing some work in his own house on Sunday, is an illustration of the utility of the Sunday law in practical operation: The police officer who arrested him testified that he had been instructed to watch the house for violation of the Sunday Act. The next witness was a Catholic, who had been heard to say that he would see Faust behind the bars yet. He had played the spy, going to Brother Faust’s house to look through the windows on Sunday. The third and last witness was Mr. Kelley, who stated that he was a Methodist; he had also acted the spy on Brother Faust’s premises, and on the occasion in question this man had gone to his place and waited to find some evidence against him, and, after informing the officer, he went down the street, and spent the larger part of the day at a clubhouse. He was employed by a manufacturing firm, and labored for wages a part of every Sunday in the year, according to his sworn testimony.

Clergymen Form Ayer Union for Social Reform

ANOTHER “federation” is reported to have been entered into at Ayer, Mass., where thirty-one clergymen have banded themselves into a union, the specific purpose of which is the social and moral improvement of the community. The ministers who have thus come together represent very diverse religious views, some being Baptists, some Unitarians, Congregationalists, Universalists, and one Catholic. Their platform is: “Friendship and acquaintance with each other's religious doctrines, local coöperation with each other on the basis of love to God and man, the furtherance of social reforms, and the bringing in of the kingdom of God.” The latter expression is one of the battle shouts in popular religious ranks of the day, and carries with it a sound of great worth. It is a catching phrase, but no one should be deceived by it. The kingdom of God and of Christ does not come through social and political reform exertions. The testimony of statistics the world over, and the evidence that every thoughtful person may see for himself, show that the world is full to the overflowing with wickedness, and waxing worse and worse. The kingdom of Christ is due when his work is accomplished. These so-called social and political reforms propose to do that work and set up a throne for Christ with a religion made to order. But the Lord will do his own work and establish in his kingdom his own worship. There is all the difference in the world between the two methods, and their results.

Good Temperance Logic.—

Because we have said that the Sunday closing of saloons was not a temperance but a religious movement, tending toward a union of church and state, we have been charged with being in league with saloon keepers. We have said that eventually saloon men would be found on the side of Sunday closing. Below we give an expression of opinion on this matter from a liquor organ, and the noted Prohibition paper, the Voice, from which the following clipping was made. It is not good Sunday-law logic, but it is good temperance logic:—

“It is easier to close saloons on seven days in the week than to close them on one day.”—Voice.

“There's logic for you! It is easier to lift seven hundred pounds than to lift one pound! It is easier to walk seven miles than to walk one mile! ‘Answer a fool according to his folly,’ says the good Book. The Voice's logic needs no answer.”—Wine and Spirit Gazette.

“Evidently it needs a different kind of answer from any you have in stock. It is easier to put a conflagration entirely out and keep it out than to put it part out and try to restrict it to a portion of the house. It is easier to kill a wild beast or keep him imprisoned than to let him run wild six days and control him the seventh. It is easier for a man to shut off on his liquor entirely than to indulge six days and shut off the seventh. The same is true of a community.”—Voice.

ANGELS, Their Nature and Ministry.

Revised by the late J.H. Waggoner. In two parts. Part Two considers some hints on the Origin, History and Destiny of Satan, as gleaned from the Scriptures. Bible Students’ Library No. 83, 140 pages. Paper covers. Price, 20 cents.

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