Earlier text: The Lost Sense of SinOur Tent-Meeting in Japan
By H. KUNIYA
When we closed our tent-meeting the first of June, more than one hundred twenty signed their names in response to our call; but they would not come to the mission hall unless we visited them. So we began to labor with them at once. I am still preaching in the hall every night. Thirty persons are especially interested. I baptized eight young men in the ocean, and they were very glad to join with us. Some of them are having a hard time to keep the Sabbath. You will be interested to hear how one of these heard and accepted the message. He told us: “One night I was going to the military office to attend to some business which I had left undone in the daytime. When coming home, the wind blew very hard, and I was obliged to return. By the way I found the tent and went in. I listened to the message, which I had never heard before.” He continued to come to the Bible studies, and is now keeping the Sabbath. He has a good education, and is planning to enter the school this winter. He moved to the island of Skikoku, where several others began to keep the Sabbath when Mrs. Kuniya and some of the sisters went there to canvass during the tent-meeting. All the young men who have been baptized, and who are going to be baptized, expect to devote their lives to the Lord’s service. I am glad that we have so many noble youth who desire to become Christian soldiers. This is a sign of the coming of the King. If we have hundreds of young men who have Elijah’s spirit, they will turn the hearts of the Buddhist fathers to the true faith. Some of these young men are driven from their homes for their faith’s sake. What shall we do? We must not leave them exposed to temptation. We must have an industrial school to help these youth in this country. Some of the young men and women who were in the school last winter have helped in the tent-meeting in Hiroshima. They are now canvassing. Three of them went down to the island of Kushu, and they11are sending back good reports. If we do not help these youth who earnestly desire to get an education for the Lord’s service, they will become discouraged. No general can have victory without brave soldiers, who have been well trained. We hope you will pray for us, and help us to build a school soon. AFTER the two poles have been definitely reached, our explorers will have to cast about for some other portion of this earth of ours to conquer. Australia and Africa have been traversed from east to west and from north to south, and perhaps the continent which is least explored country, extending for many live. There is still a large tract of unexplored country extending for many thousands of miles, and situated not so very far away from Argentina. This is not barren country, where nothing will grow and thrive; on the contrary, it is one of the most fertile tracts of land in the world, where anything will grow. This land is situated at the junction of Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, and though our atlases mark a clear boundary between the three, none such really exists. Several expeditions have been sent into the country by the three respective governments, but not a single man has returned to tell what he found there. Lianas hang from tree to tree, and everywhere are rubber trees. In days to come, if rubber keeps up its present price, this land will become one of the richest in the world; but at present, until it is opened up, it would not pay for the heavy cost of transporting it to the coast. For thousands of miles on every hand this impenetrable mass of vegetation stretches, and there are no human inhabitants except for a few wandering tribes of Indians. These Indians live (as is supposed) by hunting and fishing, and yet this is mere conjecture; for no one knows what animal, fish, or bird lives here. Any white man who ventures beyond the outskirts of this wild land is sure to fall a prey to the poisoned arrows of the Indians, who are scarcely superior to the animals among which they live, or possibly to the deadly fevers lurking in its tropical forests."—The Standard, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Securing Permission in Hungary
IN this land our church is known as “the church that does not use intoxicating drinks.” The president of our Hungarian Conference, Elder J. F. Huenergardt, says:— “Theoretically this is a land of religious liberty and tolerance. In practise, however, especially when we begin to work in a new place, we generally have difficulty in securing permission to hold public meetings. Sometimes we are denied permission entirely. Then we do our work without it. The result usually is that the authorities, upon the command of the clergy of the place, Catholic or Protestant, as the case may be, arrest our workers, lock them up in a safe place for a few hours or sometimes days, or transport them home free of charge. After they are released, they return and follow up the interest. Then they may be again taken. This is repeated until we are no more molested. These experiences often bring good results.” DR. R. H. HABENICHT, of Argentina, South America, relates the following experience: An Italian, who was very ill, came to see him. The doctor was obliged to tell him and his wife that he could not live more than ten days at the most; and within that time he died. Not long afterward, the wife was also taken ill, and came to Dr. Habenicht for treatment, remaining several weeks in his home. The family worship every morning was something quite new to her, as she had never seen anything like it before. She attended worship every morning, and also accompanied the family to church services on the Sabbath, all of which she greatly enjoyed. Thus an interest in the truth was awakened in her heart. On leaving, she asked her son, who had come for her, to buy her an Italian Bible, as she wished to read more concerning this religion; but the son said, “No, you do not want one of those Bibles; they are Protestant Bibles, and are different from our religion,” and he refused to buy her the book. Seeing her great desire to possess one, Dr. Habenicht gave her an Italian Bible. After a few weeks, the son returned to the doctor, and asked if he could get a copy, in Spanish, of the book which had been given to his mother. He said that as his mother could not read very well, he had been reading the book to her, and had become so much interested himself that he would like to get one in Spanish, since he understood Spanish better than Italian. The doctor was able to furnish him with a Bible in Spanish; and when the young man paid for it, he also paid for the one that had been given to his mother. As the result of their reading, both mother and son are now keeping the Bible Sabbath. A Christian lady was pleading with a poor, sinful girl, who had gone far away from her mother's God, to come to Jesus for pardon and peace. Suddenly the girl turned upon her. “Have you been to him?” she asked. “Yes, indeed, I have,” was the reply. “And has he given you rest?” “He has. O, thank God, he has! He is my Saviour and Friend.” “Then put your arms about me, and try to take me with you to him,” murmured the girl. “It would be easier to go with one who has been before.” It was the secret of success. Many who will resent an attempt to draw them out of evil courses will be won by that “touch of nature which makes the whole world kin.” Let it be rather, “Come thou with us, and we will do thee good.” Another girl was rescued as she exclaimed, “I don't care what becomes of me!” by the loving words of a stranger, who overheard and understood, “But I do.” It will be well to remember that Christ himself is “touched with the feeling of our infirmities,”—the word used in the original meaning sympathy.—Christian Work. Norfolk Island
By H. MITCHELL
NORFOLK ISLAND has undergone many changes during the last three years, and the once quiet, hospitable life of the Pitcairners, of whom these people are descendants, is fast giving place to the customs and evils of the world. The community is divided into three churches,—the Anglican, which is much the strongest; the Methodist; and the Seventh-day Adventist. We have a comfortable mission house, and are training some young people with a view to their becoming workers in other islands. Three young people are in training at Avondale for work in these trying climates. In a place like Norfolk, where there are no industries nor means of trading with the outside world, there is very little money. Some of our brethren do not receive ten cents cash in a month, yet last year our Sabbath-school of forty-one members gave eight pounds, ten shillings, and sixpence to missions. SPEAKING of conditions found in eastern Sumatra, Pastor W. H. Williams, a worker for one of the Bible societies, says:— “I had a long conversation with several Afghans from Cabul, which ended in each man purchasing a Gospel in his own language. But while it gave me great pleasure to supply the Scriptures to these different nationalities, I felt intensely sad as I saw the onward march of Mohammedanism, unchecked by the presence of even one Christian missionary. In Medan a magnificent mosque has just been built, at a cost of four hundred fifty thousand guilders, and in every town and village there are buildings erected to the worship of the false prophet. While Christianity is not represented by a single missionary, hundreds of Moslems every year make the pilgrimage to Mecca, and return to Sumatra as missionaries of Islam.” What else can this be but a testimony that some one who knows the Light of life has buried his talent in the earth? Where, among the followers of Jesus, are found the love and zeal for him commensurate with the importance of his gospel? Where, even, the earnestness manifested by the followers of Mohammed? The Message for All Peoples
What We Are Seeing in Europe
RIGHT here in the West German Union meeting in Friedensau we are seeing and hearing things that show that the Lord is fulfilling those words of Isaiah 40:— “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together.” The message preparing the way of the Lord is to reach all peoples “together.” It was not so with the message of the great Reformation. Some lands let in the light, in those days, and others shut it out. But in this last great reform movement, the message is to go to all peoples within one generation. Not a people nor a nation can shut it out, or prevent the light from streaming in. “The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” For many years our work was almost solely in Protestant lands. But in recent years the providence of God has distinctly led forward into the great Catholic fields, and into the great non-Christian lands. And as we follow the Lord’s providence, we find that truly he is making the crooked places straight and the rough places plain, pouring out his Spirit upon all flesh, “and floods upon the dry ground.” It is an encouraging report that comes to us from these waste places, so little worked hitherto by Protestant effort. The other day Elder J. H. Schilling, president of the West German Union, said in the conference meeting:— I have seen more evidence of a seeking after God and after truth, and more real hunger of soul for something spiritual in Bavaria [mostly Catholic], than in any other part of the union, except Austria.
And the exception emphasizes the point, that God is now visiting these Catholic lands in a special manner. Elder J. Wolfgarten, of the Austrian Mission, had a most cheering report to make. Though baptisms are illegal, souls are being buried with Christ in baptism, and are rising to walk in the new life of the message. The workers can not open meetings with singing or prayer. But their “More Light” society is proving a success, and publicly from place to place the message is being preached, and privately, as believers are raised up, the ordinances of the Lord’s house are celebrated, and the little church in Austria is growing. The believers are found in places whose names are well known to us—in Vienna, the capital; in Prague, the ancient home of Jerome, the companion of Huss in early Protestant witness and martyrdom; in Salzburg; and in the region of the ancient city of Trent, where the famous Council of Trent was held, that gave the answer of the Catholic Church to the Reformation. Now the third angel’s message is invading these strongholds of the Papacy. A good word came from Prague. The little company there was left without ministerial help, and the work seemed at a standstill. But three quarters ago a young people’s society was organized; and the few youth in it went to work with publications and Bible readings. As a result six new believers were ready for baptism when recently a minister visited Prague. Thus it is that souls are being brought in, regardless of forbidding conditions. We were glad to have at the conference our first native Austrian minister. Another laborer in Austria, a German brother, said to me:— Austria is ripe for the message. The people quite largely have come to feel that the Roman Church is false. They have lost confidence in it; and now is the time to preach the truth in Austria. Many are going into Spiritualism. Seances are common in all parts.
He told me of one man who found that the spirits had not told him the truth concerning a certain matter. He decided they were lying spirits, and that they must therefore be of the evil one. He began to seek for light, and quickly was brought into touch with our workers, and is now rejoicing in the message. Elder F. Prieser, president of the Bavarian Conference, reported that our large Munich church had drawn more members from Catholicism than from Protestantism. Of the nine candidates in a recent baptismal service, eight had been Catholics. “They are true and whole-hearted people,” he says, “and thoroughly established in the truth.” We can see it plainly. Our brethren won from the Catholic fold, members of whom are in this meeting, speak the language of the third angel’s message just as purely and heartily as any. This message of the Lord’s soon coming presents an altogether new platform of Protestant truth. It appeals to Catholic hearts just as to Protestants. As Elder J. G. Oblander, of the Rhine Conference, said:— The Catholic people get little spiritual food in their churches; and when once they see that this message is for Catholics as well as Protestants, they lay hold of it with both hands. And they accept the truth with all their hearts when they do accept it.
In Munich an intelligent lady, a Catholic nurse, had been attending meetings. One evening she overheard a sister speaking to another of the great difference between Sabbath and Sunday. The lady came to the platform, saying to the preacher, “How about this question of Sabbath and Sunday? I have heard something about it.” “In a short time we will come to that,” replied Elder Prieser. But the next Friday evening the sister had made all her preparations for the day of rest, and appeared at Sabbath-school next morning, fully committed to Sabbath-keeping. Thus, in ways that are manifold, our brethren are seeing the hand of the Lord stretched forth to hasten the message on in these distinctively Catholic portions of the field. It is a plainly marked development of recent times, this real hunger of interest in Catholic fields, and it greatly cheers the hearts of the workers. Down in Rumania, among the Greek Catholics, matters are truly stirring. All our foreign workers have been expelled. But the press is taking up the warning against our work, and is widely spreading information against us, as they intend; but surely it will be overruled to the good of some. A Rumanian brother wrote to Elder H. F. Schubert, who is with us, saying that scarcely a day passes without something in the newspapers about the truth. One paper calls us,— a mysterious and dangerous sect, that is against the church, the priests, and the pictures.
This refers to the pictures of the saints, which are everywhere in evidence and venerated, really worshiped, in the Greek Church. The law provides that if any one “perverts” any person from the orthodox faith, he shall be liable to a fine of three thousand francs and imprisonment. But the Word of the Lord itself is sending conviction to hearts; and as the papers raise the hue and cry, and bishops and archbishops take counsel together as to what to do with this message, the brethren hear of souls here and there accepting it and rejoicing in it. Several earnest Rumanian workers are doing all they can. One or two were at our conference. Last Sabbath a baptismal service, with many candidates, was just closing. Three ministers had been officiating together, to hasten the service. The closing song had been sung, and one of the brethren had pronounced the benediction,13when there was a hasty call for the audience to remain a moment. It was announced that a Rumanian brother, a lieutenant in the army, who had come on to the conference to get better acquainted with us, had decided he must no longer defer following his Lord in baptism; so in a few moments our brother was baptized, enlisting as a soldier in the army of the Lord. It may be to him a call to endure hardness indeed, as he well knows. But none of these things move our brethren in this blessed hope. The word of courage and confidence is heard on every side as the message speeds on, and no hindrances are recognized as barriers. The Word of the Lord declares that this message of preparation is to reach all peoples “together.” The mouth of the Lord has spoken it; and we see the word fulfilling. Is it not a thrilling sight to see this rising to the call of the hour and the message in the great Catholic and heathen lands? The Lord is visiting the waste places of earth. He is fulfilling his promise,— “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh.” It is the solemn, joyful fact that we are seeing this outpouring of the Spirit to-day in many a field. As for the European field, the reports that come to our ears from day to day in this large meeting cause all hearts to rejoice that the Lord is so mightily at work. The Spirit in the Wheels
By F. M. W.
God gave to his prophet Ezekiel a vision of the divine throne. We can not form a clear conception of its construction or appearance. It was formed of living creatures and living wheels, a truly regal and appropriate throne for the Living One. But however complicated this living mechanism, one fact is repeatedly emphasized in the description given the prophet, and that is that the wheels and living creatures all moved in perfect unison, and that the motive power for their united action was “the spirit of the living creature,” which was in them:— “And they went every one straight forward: whither the spirit was to go, they went; and they turned not when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. . . . And when the living creatures went, the wheels went by them: and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Whithersoever the spirit was to go, they went, thither was their spirit to go; and the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels. When those went, these went; and when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up over against them: for the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels.” In this description of the work of the heavenly agencies we see a beautiful symbol of organization and unity. The creation of God, as well as the operation of his Spirit in all the history of his church, abounds with forcible illustrations of this kind. In the world of nature we find a beautiful law of harmony and oneness controlling the creation of God, from the mighty planets which in their orbits obey the divine command, to the lowest orders of animal and vegetable existence. God designed this same law of order to work and control in his church on earth. The operation of the various members of the human body is taken by the apostle Paul to represent the harmonious workings of the gospel church, and this system is necessary to the church’s highest efficiency in every age. The principle of organization was clearly enunciated by the pioneers in this movement. Their decision to carry forward this work on an organized, systematic basis, was prompted by the Spirit. In consequence, we have to-day a splendid system of organization, which extends to every phase and feature of church work. This complete system has been a means under God of saving this cause many times from disruption, and in materially aiding its world-wide development and progress. But while we should zealously hold to the principles of organization and to the outward form of sound doctrines, let us not forget that the organization without “the spirit of the living creature” will become inert and powerless in the accomplishment of its high purpose. An engine may be complete in every detail. Every part may have been brought to the highest perfection of mechanical skill. We may admire it as a beautiful machine, but the perfection and beauty of its mechanism will not alone make it a thing of utility. To make it effective, to enable it to accomplish its work, it must have the application of live steam. In Ezekiel’s wonderful vision there were the living creatures, the wheels, the various parts of the throne; and yet these would all fail signally in meeting the purpose of their Author only as his Spirit, the spirit of the living creature, energized their movements, and directed in the execution of every detail. In this great movement of to-day, various agencies are engaged. The work has been segregated into several departments each with a special interest to conserve and promote. These agencies and organizations and institutions are all good, as long as they are rightly regarded; but they can accomplish what God designs only as his Spirit works in and through them. If we depend on organization in the abstract, if we trust to our system of church organization itself, even with all its excellences, we shall find that, after all, we are trusting in only a broken reed, which must fall short of the accomplishment of the work God designed this people to do; and the organization, instead of becoming the vehicle by which the truth may be carried forward, will become a god of false hopes. That which God designed as a blessing will be turned into a curse. This people can not obtain power by the creation of organization and official positions, by the formation of plans and policies, or by the passing of new resolutions. None of these organizations, offices, plans, or resolutions possess inherent power. The spirit of the living creature can not be legislated into the wheels; it can not be obtained from men. It can not be secured from the officers of the local church, from the president of a conference, nor from the General Conference in session. It can not be obtained in a denominational sense; it must come through individual consecration. Evidently from the record of Ezekiel, the spirit of the living creature permeated and controlled the throne only as it permeated and controlled every separate creature and wheel composing that throne. So it must be in this work. God will work in this movement, and through the organizations composing this movement, to the extent, and to the extent only, that he works through the men and women who are individually engaged in this movement; therefore the union of the Spirit of God with the efforts of Seventh-day Adventists, and his mighty working in power, as will be seen in the loud cry of this message, must find their point of contact in the experience of the individual life and personal consecration. The need of this work to-day is Spirit-filled men and Spirit-filled women. Better this class of workers without organization than the organization without the Spirit-filling; but best of all, and in God’s order, Spirit-inspired plans and Spirit-filled men and women to operate those plans. There is danger that we shall seek to harness up the power of God in plans of our own making, and use that power to carry out our purposes and our endeavors; but here we shall sadly mistake, because God’s Spirit will not be thus harnessed. He will seek in his own way the expression of his purpose. Two dangers confront us to-day—one of14throwing plans to the wind, casting aside organization, discounting church order, and going forth under the promptings of vain conceptions; and, like Thomas Munzer and his followers in the days of the Reformation, crying, “The Spirit, the Spirit,” mistaking idle imaginings for the leadings of God. On the other hand, there is danger of basing our hope upon organization, feeling that in its possession we are rich and increased in goods, and have no further need, trusting it to do for us that which can come only through contact with divine power. The Papacy constitutes the greatest system of perfected mechanism which the world has ever seen; but it stands as a monument of hollow mockery to that energized, Spirit-filled organization which should constitute the church of the living God. Let us continue to plan and purpose as God shall lead, but let us remember in it all that it is not by might nor by power, “but by my Spirit, saith the Lord,” that this work is to be accomplished. With humble dependence, let us cast ourselves at the feet of the Lord Jesus, confessing that we know nothing as we should know it, and that in him only is divine wisdom. A sense of our own weakness and insufficiency for the great task which he has appointed us, will open the way for him to fill us with his fulness. Then will the praise and the glory be given to him, and not taken to ourselves nor given to plans which we have devised. Like David of old, we shall not show our dependence on human power by numbering Israel, or glorying in what we have accomplished. The call of God to this people to-day is to personal consecration, and personal service in soul-saving. Let us earnestly pray that, as the spirit of the living creature was in the wheels of Ezekiel’s vision, so that spirit may be in the wheels of this movement, and in the experience of every one having a part in this work. Washed From the Stain of Sin
By C. M. S.
The whole universe of God will one day be clean, the last stains of sin wiped out. Sin brought the curse. But God, in his Word, tells us of a time when “there shall be no more curse.” As sin brought the curse, the removal of the curse includes the removal of that which brought it. Every manifestation of nature to-day is imperfect, and subject to decay. When God looked upon his finished work, he saw that “it was very good.” There was no imperfection then, no wasting then, no decay then, no pale-faced death then. Into that wonderful, beautiful symphony of Love’s labor came the canker of sin; and that canker has been eating out the life, the joy, the comfort of this smitten race from then till now. O, the bitter dregs of misery that have been wrung out of this afflicted world since the first seeds of sin were cultivated in the heart of man by the narrow of disobedience! What a flood of tears has gone around the world with every setting sun since men began to reap the harvest from that sowing! What a tide of blasphemy rolls around the world from day to day, where ought to be sincerest praise, and worship, and thanksgiving! How the towering shaft of crime rises daily toward heaven from the seething volcano of sin! Will it go on forever, this terrible perversion of God’s loving design for his creatures?—“There shall be no curse any more; and the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be therein [in this earth]; and his servants shall serve him; and they shall see his face; and his name shall be on their foreheads. And there shall be night no more; and they need no light of lamp, neither light of sun; for the Lord God shall give them light; and they shall reign forever and ever.” Rev. 22: 3-5. God’s design was that man should possess this earth in all its undimmed, untarnished loveliness, and reign over it forever. In order to accomplish that design, he must now uproot and destroy sin, and save man from its consequences. That is the work that is going on now to its culmination. That work will never need to be done over again. The Lord declares, in Nahum 1:9, “He will make a full end; affliction shall not rise up the second time.” When that work is done, it will be done for all eternity. The completeness of that work is shown also in Malachi 4: “For, behold, the day cometh, it burneth as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith Jehovah of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.” “And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I make, saith Jehovah of hosts.” Who are they that shall tread upon the ashes of the wicked? “But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” Mal. 4:2. Again: “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. The American Revised Version has it: “Blessed are they that wash their robes, that they may have the right to come to the tree of life,” etc. The thought is the same; for the washing of the robes signifies the removal of sin, and sin is the transgression of the law. The robes are washed when past sins have been removed, and transgression ceases. All who are in this condition will be keeping and living the commandments of God; and it is these who are given the right to “come to the tree of life,”—the right which was denied when sin came,—and the right to enter the city of God,—a right which man forfeited when he disobeyed his Maker. God’s declaration that he will “come quickly” (his reward with him), “to render to each man according as his work is,” shows that there will be a standard in the judgment of the great day. That standard is the law of God. To the host of the redeemed God points, and says: “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” Rev. 14:12. It will be a blessed thing to be found in that victorious company. But how can those words be said of us if we have been fighting against the law of God? How can we be found washed from the stain of sin if we have been transgressing the law whose transgression is sin? Our own hearts must answer these questions. Let us answer them in the light of the judgment. A Day of Special Prayer
By F. M. W.
IN the life of the Christian, every day should be a day of prayer. But while this is true, it is appropriate, in view of particular needs, that there should be set apart special occasions for seeking God. This practise has been observed by the church throughout its history. Many times did Israel of old, by fasting and humiliation of soul, seek a special blessing from on high. God always heard their cries. Those coming to him with true purpose of heart were not sent empty away. A time of special need has arisen in connection with the work of God's people to-day. Like Israel of old, when entering the land of Canaan, they are asked to go up to the great and walled cities, and to enter into fierce conflict. This conflict is not with the armies of men, but with evil principles and powers of wickedness. They would well-nigh despair of victory were it not that God is their portion, and he will go before them to subdue and convert the hearts of the impenitent. The greatness of the task and the earnestness of the call to do this work for our large cities entail upon us a solemn and fearful responsibility. The obstacles and the difficulties before the workers require more than the resources of feeble men; but the necessary resources are not lacking. All power is of God, and he is willing to bestow that power upon a consecrated people. Hence, the call to-day is a call to prayer, to earnest, importunate prayer. Who will take part in this solemn service?15 “Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning: and rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Who knoweth if he will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the Lord your God?” “Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly: gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?” A call to prayer is a call to confession of sin, to earnest heart-searching, to a removal of the stones of stumbling, to the righting of every wrong. The need for the occasion is seen in the millions who know not God. The call is to those who are carrying this movement to the world. The blessings to be sought are Heaven's resources of spiritual power. The means by which the coveted blessing may be gained is by complete consecration to God and his service. The special day appointed is September 17. Between now and that time, let us make every day a day of earnest seeking after God. Thus, more and more shall we enter into the fulness of his blessing, and be prepared to receive the abundant outpouring which his people may confidently expect upon that occasion. “Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Yea, the Lord will answer and say unto his people, Behold, I will send you corn, and wine, and oil, and ye shall be satisfied therewith: and I will no more make you a reproach among the heathen.” This promised blessing is for the church to-day. May every member seek to be a sharer therein.
F. M. W. The Recompense That Satisfies
By C. M. S.
THE time is drawing near when the kingdom of Christ, the Prince of Peace, will bear sway over all this world, which is now dominated by the kingdoms of men, ruled through force and fomenting strife. But they who are fed by his hand “shall not be moved;” they “shall abide,” and abide in peace. Strife is running riot in the world to-day; but he who is truly fed of God will have peace in the very midst of this world’s commotion. He will not be moved, he will not be anxious, he will not be fearful of the outcome; because “this Man shall be our peace.” The inn at Bethlehem, where the child Jesus was born, had no place for him in whose hands lay all the blessings of heaven for a lost world. The house was filled with the every-day traveler and trafficker. So with the hearts of the great mass of humanity to-day. Men are struggling, striving, surging, self-seeking, competing, crowding the heart walls for room, while the Saviour of the world stands without, knocking unheard, pleading unanswered, and still loving, through it all, the souls that weave themselves as woof into the warp of this world. And when one does hear, and turn from the turmoil, and the strife, and the grasping, and the soul-starving, to the water of life and the house of bread, heaven rejoices; and the long waiting, and the scorn, and the rebuffs, and the mocking of the rabble that hounded him to the cross then, and follows his disciples now, are all forgotten in the joy that fills the heart of Christ. He is seeing the fruit of soul-travail, and the seeing brings the satisfying which recompenses all. O soul outside of Christ! why dwell longer in sin? Why wander longer in the wilderness of strife and doubting? Why walk longer in the way that has no other end, no other goal, than death? Why journey on toward the desert of death, when you might return to the garden of God, with its flowing “river of life,” its fruit-filled “tree of life,” its “bread of life”? Why serve longer the prince of this world on his battle-fields of selfishness, strife, greed, and all manner of evil, when the Prince of Peace has unfurled his banner, in whose service all is love, and joy, and peace, and all manner of good? The time for choosing is now, to-day. The hosts of evil are swelling to untold proportions, and soon the harvest they have sown they will reap. But out of this sin-sown soil God is bringing forth a remnant for his glory, who will walk over the ashes of the hosts of Satan when the dross of sin has been burned out of this earth. To that remnant are all the promises of God. They shall live and reign with him forever, even forever and ever. Souls are deciding every hour for death or for life. “Choose you this day whom ye will serve.” The unbidden Guest of Bethlehem holds out to you the bread of life, and bids you drink of the water of life, and offers to you the joys and blessings of eternal life, where the canker of sin can never come. It is the richest offer that has ever been made to man. How can we refuse to accept it?