p. 16 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 39, No. 47. (12/3/1912)

Earlier text: Free Speech

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For Sale

Four-room house, with 20½ acres land, vineyard and prunes, well, one mile from Pacific Union College. Harvested thirty tons grapes and seven tons prunes this fall. Price, quick sale, $2,350, or 15½ acres for $1,525. Will subdivide. Terms. Address G. W. Mann, St. Helena, California.

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A Journey from Eden to Eden

By Editor

THERE are many journeying in the old pilgrim path a day at a time, in actual experience, through a long, useful life. Praise God for these witnesses!

It is not of this we wish here to speak, but of a journey which will help mightily on the greater journey.

Our plea is for a year's journey through the Word — the Bible — from fair Eden as it came from the hand of God, to Eden recovered from its blasting of sin and made young again by the word and touch of our Creator-Redeemer-King.

It is a faith journey if we would be blessed by it — a laying hold of the "wonderful words of life."

It is not always a smooth way. There will be rough places, steep hills and mountains, severe rebukes to sin and slothfulness. There will be days of heat and struggle of battle, days of trial and pain. But there is blessing in the daily onward journey.

It is a self-denying journey. He who pursues it faithfully may have to rob himself of a story-book, a sensational paper, a profitless conversation, or a little sleep, or find it necessary to make a little postponement of pressing work, in order that he may take his journey for the day. But it pays a thousand fold.

But he who yields his soul to the influences of the way, will find the green pastures and the waters of rest, the shady groves and the welling fountains. He will be conscious of the presence of a mighty and blessed One who goes with him.

Reader, we invite you to the journey through the Word with our Bible Band.

We shall not aim to cover the entire Bible in the year's journey, but it will be a general course from Genesis to the Revelation. It will include much of what was omitted last year, and will include the great and important parts which should always be included.

We will add the schedules this year to the little booklet "Facts Regarding the Bible," issued last year. The little booklet will include three schedules, one for reading the entire Bible through in one year in chronological order, the partial reading of last year, and a similar partially supplementary one for this year, each one complete in itself, and a calendar for 1912. The price will be ten cents, post-paid. If you wish the schedule alone, it will be five cents.

It is of no profit to us to furnish calendars and schedules. It adds to the work of the editor, but he is more than willing to do all that he can to help others to read, study, and become familiar with the Bible.

We do not know how many are following the schedules in the paper, but we know many are; there has been a falling off on the order of schedules.

There ought to be a thousand who would join us this year.

Will you not spend ten to fifteen minutes a day to learn the way of life, getting better acquainted with God, and bring your life into harmony with your Saviour? Let us hear from you.

Contained in This Issue

By Editor

Question Corner	PAGE
3925 — End of the World; 3926 — Leaving First Principles; 3927 — Heb. 10:26, 27; 1 John 1:9; 3928 — Elijah; 3929 — Drinking Wine; 3930 — Other Churches	2

| Our Bible Band | 2 |

| Editorial | | | God's Healing Message | 3 | | The Kingdom of Man — Passions and Infirmities — The Revelation of God — Fasting and Prayer — Boy Criminals | 8, 9 | | Notes | 9, 10, 11, 16 |

| General | | | Christ Our High Priest | 4 | | Prayer Which Prevails | 5 | | Object of Christian Living | 5 | | Hell—What Is It? When Is It? Where Is It? | 6 |

| The Outlook | | | The Near East | 10 | | The Temporal Power of the Papacy | 10 | | New German Guns — Free Speech — Romanism in Peru | 11 |

| Missions | | | Abyssinian New Year | 14 | | Mission Donations | 14 | | Our Work and Workers | 14 |

Immoral Methods in Detective Work

The Seattle Sunday "Times" of November 3, with a lot of bold-face type, brings some very serious charges against the great detective William J. Burns, and contends that it was by illegal methods and packing of jury-boxes that United States Senator John H. Mitchell was convicted in 1911 in Portland, Oregon. It declares that the jury that tried these men were undoubtedly examined, prepared, and tried out by Burns's employees. There is no question at all that in detective work the detective himself must sometimes, according to modern methods, resort to deception and really criminal means. It is for this reason that one noted detective contends that detectives are themselves often criminals, and that in the place where men are placed under great temptation, he does not place one man alone upon the job, but two or more. The detectives, of course, in adopting the methods of deception and illegality, contend that that is the only way by which the criminal can be convicted. But to the Christian such methods as that are immoral — we can not do evil that good may come.

Claimed Cure for Tuberculosis

By Editor

A despatch from Berlin, November 8, declares that Dr. F. F. Friedmann announces the discovery of what he believes to be a practical cure for every form of tuberculosis. He exhibited cured patients before the Berlin medical society, and declared that he had treated 682 cases, with invariable improvement in each. He injects living tubercle bacilli which have been rendered benevolent. It would be a blessed thing if some means could be found of rendering all these malevolent germs benevolent. We anticipate, however, that physicians will take such reports with great reserve. About the same thing was announced when Koch discovered his serum. Tuberculosis can be cured, but somehow these marvelous cures have not, in the language of the street, "made good."

Memory Text for the Week

John 14:14-16

"If ye shall ask anything in My name, that will I do. If ye love Me, ye will keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another comforter, that He may be with you forever."

Carpenters Arrested for Sunday Work

A despatch from New York under date of November 18 says that the carpenters inside of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel were arrested for working on Sunday. They were getting the ballroom ready for a big ball to be given by Whitney Warren, but a policeman discovered the men at work in violation of the penal code, went out and blew his whistle, and arrested the men "for violation of the sabbath law." If those men had been in California, and the law which Mr. Tufts wished to secure had been in operation, they would not have been violators of the law at all, because they were working for some wealthy person. Another thing: these men violated no original Sabbath law; they simply were violators of the Sunday law of New York. The original and ultimate Sabbath law to which all men must give account in the judgment is that "the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God."

The Holy Roman Empire.

Everything tends toward it. There will come a time when all the world will wonder after the restored Papacy, and this would mean the union of the Eastern and Western Catholic churches. Pertinent to this is the following paragraph from the Western Watchman of November 14, 1912: "The Balkans are classified as orthodox, but by that is meant only that they are not subject to the pope. We do not think there is much to prevent a reunion, and when the new government begins to deal directly with the pope, there will be less. The return of the whole East to the church's unity is one of the eventualities that are safely concealed in the womb of time."

An Invitation to Thanksgiving

It is a nice point in the President's proclamation that he does not appoint or ordain or command, but he invites the people to observe Thanksgiving Day. This is proper. Religious observances are not a matter of government appointment in this country, nor would they have the effect that an invitation like President Taft's would have.

Earthquake Devastates Mexican Towns

A despatch from Mexico City, November 21, reports 1,200 dead in the Mexican quake, and possibly hundreds more lost their lives. Churches fell, killing priests and worshipers. The fatal center seemed to be in the towns of Acambay and Timilpa. The former town is practically in ruins. Most of the dead are women.

China Mobilizes Against Rebellion

Reports from Hongkong state that China is amassing a big army to put down the war in Mongolia, the rebellion, and the bandits. It is said that the bandit Wong Wo Shun, in command of 15,000 desperadoes, controls the province of Kwangsi.

Earthquake Shocks Vancouver

Two distinct shocks of earthquake were felt in Vancouver, British Columbia, November 21, which did very little damage beyond a quantity of broken china. It is the most severe, however, in the history of Vancouver.

Catholic Candidates Win Election

The "Western Watchman" notes that in the late election, when every voter had to walk over streets littered with copies of "The Menace," five Catholic governors and one Catholic United States senator were elected.

Bible Versions Used in This Paper

By Editor

Our authority is the Bible, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. When the Common ("King James" or "Authorized") Version or the American Standard Revised Version is used, the version will not generally be designated in reference. Any Bible quotation in this paper, therefore, differing from the Common Version, unless otherwise indicated, will be almost invariably from the American Standard edition of the Revised Bible, copyright 1910, by Thomas Nelson & Sons.

For further particulars, subscription rates, etc., see page 15.

Hold Fast to Truth

God's Word — His Book — is clear and simple and plain in all the great moral verities which enter into conduct and character. There are questions in eschatology and prophecy over which candid, devout, loyal hearts may differ; but they ought not to differ over the necessity of simple faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ our Lord and the obligation of faithful obedience to all God's righteous commandments. We may call "Philosophy" and "Tradition" divine, and write them with initial capitals, but if either or both swerve us from the truth, they are enemies of the would-be child of God. Tennyson has truly sung:

"Hold thou the truth; define it well, For fear divine philosophy Shall push beyond the mark, and be Procurees to the lords of hell."

The King's Vigil

By Llewellyn A. Morrison

"It came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called unto Him His disciples: and of them He chose twelve, whom also He named apostles." Luke 6: 12, 13.

All the long night, o'er Galilean meadows Falleth the fragrance of the odorous hills; All the night long, amid the quiet shadows The crystal dew distils.

Night hath her gifts of sweetness and of healing, Her boons for burdens, and her balms for care; Yet in the dark and silent night hours kneeling, Pleadeth the Christ in prayer.

His feet are humid in the misty grasses; Damp are His locks by Nature's chrismal tears; And the new day appears. Yet, still the vigil, till the darkness passes,

Great and momentous are the issues pending: An alien world's redemption has begun; Forth to the work, His work, He now is sending His workmen with the sun.

The work He came to do—the wondrous story He left the heaven of heavens to bear and tell— That work is God's, the kingdom and the glory, And power invincible.

So all the night, until the morning breaketh, Under the stars, while hast'ning angels wait, He spake with Him whose matchless counsel maketh The certainties of fate.

Who may declare the burning words outspoken, Or breathed in silence to the heart of Love? The holy hush is breathless and unbroken; The record is above.

Strong are the foes that hinder and resist Him; Sinful and sordid sons of men are dumb; Feeble and frail the heralds who assist Him; Yet must He overcome.

What need for virile manhood, pure, immortal; Of fearless faith and fealty for the strife! Never may one, unaided, gain the portal, Or win eternal life.

Yet must the seed be sown the wide earth over— The Word be sent o'er every land, abroad; Love be proclaimed that maketh man a lover Of goodness and of God.

He calleth some to carry forth the message— The lowly ones whose hearts to Him incline; The truth their shield and buckler; the embassage Mighty because divine.

Still, still behind the call the Master prayeth To armor and equip them as with flame; And still within the soul the Spirit sayeth, "Be strong! Go in His name!"

Who harken and obey, His favor sendeth. At eventime with gleanings shall they come, And fail not; for a mighty host attendeth To shout them "Welcome home!"

Our Mission

By Annie L. Holberton

Let our mission be to stand With a firm, unflinching hand Mid the mustered ranks of those who love the Lord; And "To love is to obey" Be our watchword day by day, As we march to meet the foe with one accord.

We are few, but we are strong, With the strength that doth belong To all those who work for God by His own light.

We pursue no single theme, Held in popular esteem, But accept the Scripture whole, unchanged, as right.

We advance before the world With our banner wide unfurled — Sabbath, temperance, education to uphold; One an ordinance of God, Tho vain paganism trod Where the feet of desecration still are bold.

It is ours to work and pray For His holy Sabbath day — For the day which He has sanctified and blessed. And our own the sacred part To awake the Christian heart To acknowledge and restore that sacred rest.

We would arm with sword and shield, And the ready will to wield Heaven's force against man's formidable foe, The foul scourge which sweeps our land, With the tempter hand in hand — Intemperance, that grim messenger of wo.

In the light of wisdom taught, Seeking higher realms of thought, We aspire to untried fields and wider sphere, To extend the gospel sound Where benighted souls abound, Till immortal life shall crown our mission here. — Annie L. Holberton.

Pleadings

By Mrs. M. C. Sollars

"Jerusalem! Jerusalem!" So Jesus wept o'er thee, Foreseeing, down the future years, Thy awful destiny.

"If thou hadst known the things which here Belong unto thy peace! If thou hadst known the heart which longs To pardon and release!"

"My prophets ye have stoned and killed, My servants ye deny; Ye seek My life to take away, Yea, even crucify."

"O chosen people, favored ones, Thy visitation day, Thy cup of wrath, now almost filled, Ye may not turn away!"

These words come ringing down the years, To us in this our day; The same sweet voice is pleading now: "My people, come away"

"From worldly pleasures, worldly strife, From things the world holds dear. The fields are white; 'tis harvest-time; The Judge will soon appear."

"If ye can love the world, how can Ye love and follow Me— The world which gave Me scoffs and sneers, And death on Calvary?"

"'Tis evening-time. The hour is late. Earth's sun is almost set. The day draws on which brings to all, Glad hearts or vain regret."

Cross Wearing

By Horatius Bonar

I am crucified with Christ— With Him nailed upon the tree. Not the cross, then, do I bear, But the cross it beareth me— Solemn cross on which I died, One with Him, the Crucified.

Shall I take that blood-stained cross, Cross of agony and shame, Cross of Him who fought my fight, Cross of Him who overcame? Shall I deck myself with thee, Awful cross of Calvary?

Shall I drag thee through the crowd, Mid the laughter that is there; Whirl thee through the giddy waltz, Bound upon my neck or hair? Awful cross of Calvary, Shall I deck myself with thee?

Shall I make that lowly cross Minister of woman's pride, Drawing eyes to me that should Fix upon the Crucified? Awful cross of Calvary, Shall I deck myself with thee?

Shall I call this glittering gem, Made for show and vanity— Shall I call this gaud a cross, Cross of Him who died for me? Shall I deck myself with thee, Awful cross of Calvary? —Horatius Bonar.

"Mother"

She gave the best years of her life With joy for me, And robbed herself, with loving heart, Unstintingly.

For me with willing hands she toiled From day to day, For me she prayed when headstrong youth Would have its way.

Her gentle arms, my cradle once, Are weary now; And time has set the seal of care Upon her brow.

And tho no other eyes than mine Their meaning trace, I read my history in the lines Of her dear face.

And 'mid His gems, who showers gifts As shining sands, I count her days as pearls that fall From His kind hands. —Selected.

The Merciful One

WHILE the Christian need not sin, while he should make no provision for sin, yet if he does fail through the weakness of the flesh, there is forgiveness. He may fall again and again; God is merciful still. The danger lies not in exhausting God's mercy, but in crushing out forever from the heart all desire for good, all sorrow for sin, till there is no longer any desire for God. It is so easy for poor, fallen humanity to make mistakes, to fail because of lack of vigilance and prayer. But God will forgive not only seven times, but seventy times seven. But let us not presume on His love; rather let us lay hold of His strength. Let the prayer of the heart be, "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right [constant] spirit within me." Ps. 51:10.

The Kingdom of Man

By Editor

THE very alphabet of prophecy — symbolic prophecy we mean — is the great image of Daniel 2, that image given to Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon. A kingdom which is symbolical of opposing powers to the work of Christ is represented by a man, and this figure is used because the kingdom is not the kingdom of God, but the kingdom of man. The great successive empires, or dynasties, which are to follow are represented, not by the anatomical parts of this figure, but by the metals of which it is composed, and these metals representing successive dynasties, do not include all the various little kingdoms of the world, but represent great, dominating, world-molding powers. In this respect they are termed universal monarchies, because for the time of the existence of each it is a dominating power in the world. The first of these was Babylon, which reached the height of its glory under Nebuchadnezzar, and which was succeeded by Medo-Persia in the year 538 before Christ.

The second of these great dynasties was the Medo-Persian Empire, which included all that was possessed by Babylon, but which extended her conquests far eastward, and much farther west, including Egypt and all of Asia Minor.

The Grecian Empire, coming from territory hitherto untouched — Europe — included in its vast dominion all that Medo-Persia had held, and much besides, especially toward the west. It lingered only for a little time with Babylonia. Its real capital was in Macedonia.

The Roman Empire, represented by the legs of iron and the feet of iron and clay, left as comparatively worthless and decadent a great part of the Persian Empire in the East, and extended its dominion much farther westward and northward, including what is called Western Rome, afterward divided into ten divisions, represented now by Spain, and France, and Italy, and Germany, etc. These are still known as the divisions of Western Rome, and have been from that time the great dominant forces in the world's civilization and control.

Later prophecies confirm this prophecy. The great alphabet gives us the means by which we can spell out all later prophecies, and holds us to the one great outline.

All of these, from Babylon onward, are considered world-dominating powers, not because of the particular territory which they occupied, but because they succeeded to world domination. The city of Babylon was not necessary to give Medo-Persia prestige; she possessed it by conquering Babylon and spreading her kingdom westward. Persepolis, or Susa, or Ebatana, were not necessary cities in the great Grecian Empire. Antioch, Alexandria, Saloniki, Athens, had taken their place. Neither were any of these great cities or centers necessary in the Roman Empire. Rome itself had become the "mistress of the world."

This prophecy in Daniel 2 touches only upon the civil phases of the world empire. In later prophecies the religious phase is developed. There is one feature, however, that we may mention here as indicated in the third chapter of Daniel, and that is man's attempt through patriotism to set aside the inevitable as set forth in chapter 2. It was no arbitrary decree of God that the world should pass through the changes indicated by the changing metals in Daniel 2, from gold through silver to brass and iron and crumbling clay. The prophecy only indicated the deterioration of the kingdom of man, the change in forms of government, and the failure of them all. Patriotism, which is always faith in men instead of faith in God, declared that God's Word should not prove true, that God's judgment as given by His prophet was false; and therefore Nebuchadnezzar erected his image of gold to show what he believed, and was determined to make Babylon not only the universal kingdom, but the eternal kingdom.

Men have been doing that ever since, declaring that this kingdom, or this empire, or that empire, shall stand forever. God declares that all these kingdoms shall pass away, and shall be succeeded by one everlasting kingdom that is worthy to persist forever. These earthly empires perished by their own weakness and corruption; God's kingdom shall persist eternally, because of its inherent and everlasting righteousness.

Before the everlasting kingdom of God — the Stone cut out of the mountain without hands — all these earthly empires shall fall together, as all will be found, in the last phase, Babylonian in spirit and method.

These are lessons that God would have the devout student of things to come, learn today, as He desired Nebuchadnezzar and God's children to learn them anciently. These are charts which will help us to understand where we are on the great sea of time in the turmoil of events now taking place. "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts."

Passions and Infirmities

THE word "passion" is a word of many meanings. Its original and literal meaning is "suffering." It is used in this sense in the expression so often seen, "our Lord's passion." It is used as synonymous with "emotion." Love, hate, fear, joy, grief, are called passions. It is probably more often used to denote vehement desire in a bad direction, such as hatred, rage, lust of concupiscence, etc. But in all these cases it is the product of the mind and flesh together. The flesh may possess inherited tendencies to sin; but God does not count them sin, nor will they ever issue in sin, if there is not within the mind something which is in harmony with the inherent tendencies of the flesh. But the soul renewed by divine grace, holding continual connection with God by living faith, will abhor those tendencies. The infirmities of "sinful flesh" are there, which make temptations real; but the soul is high above them, and overcomes them through grace. Sinful men have these inherited tendencies and weaknesses, and their heart, mind, or soul is in harmony with their flesh, hence they possess passions in the worst sense. When the flesh and soul agree, there is passion. When the soul abhors the tendencies of the flesh, and through grace rises above them, there is no passion. The tendencies of the flesh alone are but infirmities. Christ possessed like infirmities to man; He did not possess like passions.

The Revelation of God

IN the second epistle of 2 Peter 1:21 it is said that "men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit." The books of Revelation and Daniel disclose the fact that angels have revealed truth to the prophets. From these facts, some have concluded that the Holy Spirit was an angel or angels, and that any other view makes the Bible contradict itself. That this is not so, one simple principle will show; and borne in mind, will enable our readers to solve similar problems. It is this,—that because a principal is responsible for all acts of his agents or subordinates, the acts or work of his agents may properly be said to be his acts. For instance, we say, "That house was built by Mr. Jones," or "That printing-press was made by Mr. Hoe," altho Mr. Jones never did any work on the house, nor Mr. Hoe on the press. But they caused the work to be done; therefore it was their work. Thus the Father created the world through the Son. God spoke to the fathers, but He did it by the prophets. Heb. 1:1.

So God has revealed His will to men, sometimes through angels, sometimes through men. But in both cases the Spirit of God fitted the messenger for his work, gave power to his message, and prepared the heart of the individual to whom it was sent to receive the truth spoken. The Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, or rather the perfect oneness of all three, was the principal; the angel or the man was the agent. Now to say that the Spirit was an angel, would prove by the same rule that the Spirit was a human being. But neither is true. The angel was only the messenger of God; the power — the all — was furnished by the Spirit of God, who is above and before all angels and all creatures.