Earlier text: Joy for the JourneyAutumn Council of the North American Division Conference
By G. B. Thompson
THE autumn council of the General and Division Conference committees closed October 20, a few days earlier than was originally planned. A number of very important matters were considered. The following actions taken are of general interest:— It was arranged to use the Watchman for the year 1917 in the Harvest Ingathering campaign. The Southern Publishing Association has recently enlarged its plant, and is well equipped to do this work, maintaining the same high standard of workmanship seen in the periodicals used in the past. We ought to plan to place a million copies of this magazine in the homes of the people in the next campaign. It was also voted that the Harvest Ingathering paper be issued in the Italian, Hungarian, Roumanian, and Bohemian languages. Atlantic Union ................ $18,200
Columbia Union ............... 13,300
Eastern Canadian ............. 8,646
North Pacific Union .......... 1,000
Southeastern Union ........... 17,950
Southern Union ............... 17,201
Southwestern Union ........... 8,028
North American Foreign Department ........ 13,616
North American Negro Department .......... $42,468
College of Medical Evangelists ............ 10,000
Christian Record ........................ 4,000
Clinton German Seminary ................... 1,000
Swedish Seminary .......................... 1,000
Danish-Norwegian Seminary ................. 1,000 The following actions concerning the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund were passed: “1. That we appropriate sixteen cents of our returns on the Twenty-cent-a-week Fund to the General Conference for foreign missions during 1917. “2. That one fourth of all returns above sixteen cents, up to and including twenty cents, be appropriated to Loma Linda; and that the remaining three fourths and all above twenty cents revert to the Union.” A financial statement of conferences and institutions for the year 1915 was presented by the statistical secretary, H. E. Rogers. The report showed that for the North American Division, the total assets are over $7,323,346.72; liabilities, $3,459,647.54; net worth, $3,863,699.18. The net operating gain during 1915 in the Division was $580,709.63, the donations being $644,615.39, or $63,905.76 more than the net operating gain. The report as a whole contained some very encouraging features. Some study both before and during the council was given to the work of bringing the message before the people of our large cities. The following preamble and recommendations were adopted:— “Owing to the rapid fulfilment of prophecy pointing unmistakably to the nearness of the end, it behooves this people, and especially the workers representing this movement, to use all diligence in winning souls to Christ, and to proclaim the third angel’s message in all its fulness, that many may be prepared against that day of wrath. To accomplish this end, we suggest the following as our working policy for 1916-17:— “1. That every church member be drafted into active service in giving the message to the world, and be encouraged to undertake to win at least one soul to Christ this coming year. “2. That every laborer under conference pay be earnestly urged to undertake a stronger and more active soul-winning campaign than ever before; and that those who are unable to succeed be advised to take up self-supporting work. “3. That all departments and administrative boards be encouraged to prosecute more vigorously the work in their lines of endeavor, and whenever possible, to assist in the above-mentioned efforts. “4. That all possible encouragement and support be given strong public efforts to reach the unwarned communities in our cities. “5. That greater use be made of the public press; and as far as possible, that its power in proclaiming the truth for this time be utilized.6“6. That every possible encouragement be given to local conferences to continue this work, and that it be strengthened, as far as workers and finances will permit. “7. That we encourage the formation of strong evangelical teams, either by local or union conferences, or both, as conditions will permit, the same to undertake stronger evangelical efforts in the larger centers of population than we have hitherto been able to conduct. “8. That it be clearly understood before an effort is undertaken in this larger way, that adequate financial support shall be provided. “9. That each company of workers include one or more good speakers, a good musical leader, a press agent, an advertiser, a business manager, Bible workers, a leader to look after the distribution of literature, and other helpers as may be thought advisable. These workers may be supplied or their work combined according to the ability of the conference to finance the effort. “10. That the medical work be more fully connected with our city work, and that nurses be trained to become efficient Bible workers to engage in city efforts. “11. That these efforts be so conducted that they shall be educational, training younger workers, and encouraging and helping less successful workers, to the end that they may be able to obtain larger results in their work. “12. That the Division Conference fully coöperate with these efforts in Union and local conferences, by helping to secure strong workers, and by assisting financially as far as possible. “13. That whenever a committee has taken action to hold one of these larger evangelistic efforts, care be used not to begin unless all arrangements are fully made beforehand, such as completing the contract for renting the main auditorium and the auxiliary buildings, selecting the literature, making the press contracts, arranging for the stereopticons, etc., so as not to be hampered in the effort after opening. “14. That such workers be selected to constitute the company as will be congenial and adapted to work in full coöperation and harmony; and that much prayer and seeking of the Holy Spirit be engaged in, that the enemy may not injure the effort in any way by bringing in disunion. “15. That plans be laid early in the effort to retain a sufficient force of competent Bible workers to follow up all the interests that may be awakened.” Sustentation Fund Credentials
For several years there has been some perplexity as to who should grant credentials to those who are on the Sustentation Fund. In order that there may be uniformity in this matter, and that faithful laborers may not be embarrassed in receiving their credentials, the following plan was recommended:— “Since no uniform plan seems to be followed in granting recognition to laborers receiving support from the Sustentation Fund,— “We recommend, That in December of each year, the secretary of the North American Division Conference furnish the president of each Union conference with a list of all such laborers, and that the Union conference in which they are located issue credentials or licenses to all who are entitled to recognition; and further,— “That in the Year Book all such laborers be listed as not active, or as superannuated.” Home Missionary Statistics
The following action was taken in reference to the gathering of conference missionary statistics:— “Voted, That where conferences have not made other arrangements, the reports of the church missionary work be collected and recorded by the tract society secretaries.” Relation of Foreign and English Churches
The following recommendations defining the relation between our foreign and English churches were passed:— “1. That all our laborers, English and foreign, encourage the young people among the Swedish, Danish-Norwegian, and German nationalities to attend the seminary conducted especially for their own people, with a view to becoming laborers in their native languages. “2. That we spare no means possible to strengthen the work among the various foreign nationalities in this country, both by the ministry and by our efforts to circulate reading matter prepared in their own tongues. “3. That we organize companies and churches in these various languages as rapidly as believers are able to maintain a congregation, in order that they may extend the message especially among their own nationalities. “4. That we encourage the building and maintaining of suitable church buildings as rapidly as possible, with the provision that no debt be created in so doing.” The following suggestive plans concerning church order for the North American Division were recommended: “WHEREAS, There are some questions of church order, in regard to which there has grown up a difference of opinion, because of the passing out of memory of actions taken long ago by the General Conference, we offer the following as a suggestive plan to be followed in church order:— “1. That the church officers be elders, deacons, deaconesses, clerk, treasurer, missionary secretary, Sabbath school superintendent and secretary, Missionary Volunteer leader and secretary, with such additional officers as may be called for on account of the size of the church. “2. That the elders, deacons, and such other persons as may be chosen by the church constitute the church board. “3. That these officers be elected by the church on the following plan:— “That the church appoint a committee on nominations, or authorize the church board to make such appointment, to suggest to the church names for these offices; that the vote of the church elect the officers, and that they serve for one year in all cases except the Missionary Volunteer officers, who shall hold their offices for six months. “4. That officers requiring ordination be ordained as soon after the election as possible; that they do not administer the ordinances until they are ordained. “5. That the jurisdiction of a local elder, or his authority to administer the ordinances, be confined to that church which elected him as elder, except where the conference committee under special circumstances deems it advisable to instruct him to go to another church. “6. That if he be reelected, or properly elected elder of another church, his ordination shall stand good. He need not be reordained. “7. That in case of his removal to another conference, the fact that he has acted as elder over one church should not be considered a ground for calling him to act as elder again. The church should consider his qualifications just as they would if he had never been an elder; and if there be any doubt, inquiry should be made of the officers of the conference from which he came, to ascertain whether he filled the office acceptably, and if he has been faithful to his church covenant, he need not be reordained. “8. That all offerings taken in the church be handed each week to the treasurer, who shall keep an account of them; that the treasurer remit all foreign and general offerings to the conference treasurer at the close of each month; that he pay over to the missionary secretary the offerings for the local missionary work; that he disburse the church expense fund as he may be directed by the church board. “9. That all expenditures from the expense fund and the poor fund may be considered by the church board and authorized before being made. “10. That members be transferred on the following plan:— “a. That letters of transfer received from other churches, and requests to join on profession of faith, as a general rule, be presented to the church one week before being acted upon. “b. That members transferring be received only by letters of transfer sent direct from the church clerk issuing them to the clerk of the church to which they wish to be transferred; that personal applications from members for letters be made to the clerk of the church which they wish to join. “11. WHEREAS, For some years there has been a tendency on the part of many of the members of our churches to remove from the church to which they belong without transferring their membership, thus causing confusion in the matter of keeping accurate records of membership; therefore,— “We urge all the members of our churches everywhere to be more careful in respect to the transfer of their membership to the church where they reside; and, further,— “We believe it would be advisable, in cases where members do not report to their church for a period of two years, that after due efforts have been put forth by the home church, their names be dropped from the church record. “12. That we discourage the disbanding of churches in order to discipline unfaithful and troublesome members; but urge that the Bible plan of dealing with unworthy members be followed; that by patience and love, many prayers and earnest entreaties, we put forth untiring and persevering efforts to reclaim those who may have lost their spiritual perception; and that in cases where, after following the plain instruction laid down by the Master, members refuse to respond7to the efforts put forth, they be disfellowshipped by vote of the church. “13. That before a church is organized, those expecting to join be carefully and thoroughly instructed in all matters of doctrine, and in the relation which should exist between members; that the organization of churches be effected in counsel with the executive committee of the conference; and that, if possible, the president of the conference be present and assist in the organization.” Women’s Auxiliary Committee
“Voted, That we express to the Women’s Auxiliary Committee our sincere thanks and deep appreciation for the earnest and efficient work that it has done in securing funds for the hospital at Loma Linda; and that, as we hope to realize from the offering taken October 14 sufficient funds for the erection of the hospital, making the work of the auxiliary committee no longer necessary, it be understood that the Women’s Auxiliary Committee is therefore discontinued.” There were many evidences of the guiding hand of God in the council. Elder A. G. Daniells left before it closed to enter upon his journey to the Asiatic Division field, and Elder W. T. Knox left immediately after the close of the council. We should not fail to remember these faithful laborers in our prayers. And let fervent prayers ascend to God for his blessing on the work here in the homeland, from which large sums of money must be continually gathered, and many workers selected, for the needy fields abroad. G. B. THOMPSON,
Secretary. Mightily Shaken
By George B. Thompson
WITH Moses as a chosen human leader, the Lord started in Egypt a movement to lead Israel into the Land of Promise. Though this exodus movement was divinely started and divinely led by the pillar of cloud and of fire, many lost their faith in it, and failed to realize the fulfilment of the promise. That they were mightily shaken through unbelief and rebellion, is set forth in the awful pronouncement of the Lord after the murmuring of the Israelites, when they were discouraged by the report of the unfaithful spies:— “The Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with this evil congregation, which murmur against me? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel, which they murmur against me. Say unto them, As truly as I live, saith the Lord, as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: your carcasses shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, which have murmured against me, doubtless ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware to make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun. But your little ones, which ye said should be a prey, them will I bring in, and they shall know the land which ye have despised. But as for you, your carcasses, they shall fall in this wilderness.” Num. 14: 26-32. This scripture contains a warning against the sin of unbelief. Israel rebelled against God, and rejected those whom he had chosen to lead in the movement he had started. But notwithstanding the terrible results to individuals, the nation that God brought out of Egypt went into Canaan. He did not abandon it and start another. Although men “famous in the congregation, men of renown,” men who were “princes of the assembly,” rebelled, and led others with them into darkness, so that at times the “whole congregation” wept and murmured and wished they had never started from Egypt, and were ready to stone their leaders; yet in spite of all this, the work of God moved on, and those who in the face of difficulties kept their faith and stayed with the movement, went into the Promised Land. All this we are told is “written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.” 1 Cor. 10: 11. In the last days, just before the coming of Christ, the Lord will have another movement, of which the exodus movement from Egypt was in many respects a type. The Lord will lead again through human instrumentalities, as in days of yore. We have been warned that similar experiences will come in this message. Many will fail to allow the sanctifying power of the message to purify their lives, and will consequently lose their way. They will begin to doubt the message, either as a whole or in part. They will lose faith in the Testimonies, cavil about health reform, or become disaffected over something else. One step in unbelief prepares the way for the next. Those chosen by the people to stand in responsible places will be subjected to the fire of cruel and unjust criticism, and be blamed for hindering the progress of the work. Some will stop paying an honest tithe because they conclude, from some false report, that the tithe fund is not used as it should be. Instead of paying tithe from principle, they pay it when things are run according to their ideas. Instead of knowing what is truth, and that the message they have espoused is from God, when some false brethren come along with something called “new light,” though it is hard to be understood and if believed will obscure the light already received, these faltering ones become uncertain about everything, think perhaps they have followed some cunningly devised fable; and they drift down the stream, out of the light, out of sight, into the night, and conclude that the message is a failure, and finally give it up altogether. There will indeed be a “shaking time.” “My attention was then turned to the company I had seen, who were mightily shaken. . . . The numbers of this company had lessened. Some had been shaken out and left by the way.”—Early Writings, p. 271. Here is another startling statement of the same kind:— “Soon God’s people will be tested by fiery trials, and the great proportion of those who now appear to be genuine and true will prove to be base metal. Instead of being strengthened and confirmed by opposition, threats, and abuse, they will cowardly take the side of the opposers.”—Testimonies for the Church, Vol. V, p. 136. The “great proportion” of those who now appear to be true Christians will, when tested, be found wanting. This shows that no mere theory of the truth will suffice. The message must do its work in the heart. Sin must be given up. We must be anchored to the truth, built up in Christ. Here is another statement:— “The time is not far distant when the test will come to every soul. The mark of the beast will be urged upon us. Those who have step by step yielded to worldly demands, and conformed to worldly customs, will not find it a hard matter to yield to the powers that be, rather than subject themselves to derision, insult, threatened imprisonment, and death. The contest is between the commandments of God and the commandments of men. In this time, the gold will be separated from the dross in the church. True godliness will be clearly distinguished from the appearance and tinsel of it. Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy, will then go out in darkness. Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat. All who assume the ornaments of the sanctuary, but are not clothed with Christ’s righteousness, will appear in the shame of their own nakedness.”—Id., p. 81. “Chaff like a cloud will be borne away on the wind, even from places where we see only floors of rich wheat.” Though there is the appearance of wheat, when tested it proves to be only chaff. Half-hearted believers will accept strange and new doctrines which lead away from the old landmarks of the message. Wolves in sheep’s clothing will do a baneful work. Even of our own selves will men arise, speaking perverse things, and the weak-kneed and unbelieving will gather around them. The cares of the world and the pleasures of life will choke the word in many hearts, and the less sacrificing, easy, popular side will be chosen. As in the exodus movement, “men of renown,” “princes of the assembly,” will give up the truth. “Many a star that we have admired for its brilliancy, will then go out in darkness.” Not a few, but many! How sad this seems! Again we are told:— “As the storm approaches, a large class who have professed faith in the third angel’s message, but have not been8sanctified through obedience to the truth, abandon their position, and join the ranks of the opposition. By uniting with the world and partaking of its spirit, they have come to view matters in nearly the same light; and when the test is brought, they are prepared to choose the easy, popular side. Men of talent and pleasing address who once rejoiced in the truth, employ their powers to deceive and mislead souls. They become the most bitter enemies of their former brethren. When Sabbath keepers are brought before the courts to answer for their faith, these apostates are the most efficient agents of Satan to misrepresent and accuse them, and by false reports and insinuations to stir up the rulers against them.”—The Great Controversy, p. 608. When the storm strikes us, only those who are rooted and grounded in Christ will stand. All others will be swept away. “Men of talent and pleasing address, who once rejoiced in the truth,” will give it up and lead others astray. All along, in the history of this message, men of talent have given it up, and while seeking to show that the Spirit of prophecy was not true, have themselves taken a course which fulfilled some of its predictions. We call attention to these things, that as a people we may be reminded that though many may give up the truth, some of whom we have admired for their brilliancy, it is still God’s precious truth, and is sure to triumph; and that we may be admonished by these things to put away all sin from the heart, and in humility lay hold with unwavering trust upon the enduring promises of God, and stand secure upon a firm foundation, amid the tempest and stress of the final conflict. The Cloudless Skies of Heaven
By L. D. SANTEE
FOLD not your hands in idle rest,
Slumber not till a brighter tomorrow.
Earth is burdened with hearts oppressed,
Hearts that break in their ceaseless sorrow.
Labor and pray with a trust sublime,
For unto each soul are duties given;
And those who toil mid the shades of time,
Shall rest ’neath the cloudless skies of heaven. Weary not when the work is hard,
Tears and toil are the lot of mortals;
Christ shall give you a rich reward
When he opens the pearly portals.
Toil for the Master, and soon you’ll stand
Mid the white-robed throng, with your sins forgiven;
And long in that holy, happy land
Shall you rest ’neath the cloudless skies of heaven. Stand not idle so near the prize.
Earth is full of sorrowful weeping.
Duties await thee. Arise! arise!
Waste not the precious hours in sleeping.
Valiant, then, for the Master stand,
While the sword of the Spirit cuts clean and even;
And soon on the shores of the better land
You will rest ’neath the cloudless skies of heaven. Shadows shall fade in an endless day.
Sighs give place to a happy voicing,
Sorrow and sadness shall flee away,
While the ransomed return with glad rejoicing,
Man shall be changed to angelic birth;
Death shall be banished, his fetters riven;
And all of the pure, the meek of earth,
Shall rest ’neath the cloudless skies of heaven. R. D. QUINN
By R. D. Quinn
Practical Lessons from the Life of Elisha — No. 1
The close of the career of Elijah is the beginning of the career of Elisha. It was on the way from the wilderness to Damascus that Elijah had found Elisha plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and had stripped off his own mantle and cast it upon the shoulders of this wondering youth. Elisha immediately accepted the prophetic call, and “went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.” 1 Kings 19:21. A few years passed by, and Elijah was fitted for translation, and Elisha was prepared to become his successor. The time had come when there was to be enacted one of the sublimest scenes in sacred history—the time “when the Lord would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind.” His days of wandering and conflict were now over. For the last time he journeyed from Gilgal to Bethel. Only one faithful disciple was with him, the son of Shaphat, who, after the manner of Eastern attendants, stood by him to pour water on the hands of his master. At each successive halt the faith and resolutions of Elisha were put to test. “Tarry here, I pray thee,” Elijah said, “for the Lord hath sent me to Bethel . . . to Jericho . . . to Jordan.” But in each instance Elisha’s answer, “As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee,” expressed his unalterable and unshaken purpose to trust in his master and in his master’s God. Not even the sons of the prophets, who met him with the mournful message, “Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head today?” could deter this devoted servant from seeing with his own eyes the last moments, and hearing with his own ears the last words, of the prophet of God. “And they two went on.” They went on alone from those high table-lands, descending all the way to the banks of the Jordan. “And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan.” The aged Gileadite could not rest until he again set foot on his own side of the river. “Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee.” Only one gift was in Elisha’s mind to ask for: “I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me.” Elisha knew what he wanted. He had not many requests to make—only this one thing. He knew if that divine gift could be secured, it would bring all other blessings in its train. He held on perseveringly, and his faith was rewarded. O that the church of God today had but this one request to make: Lord, let a double portion of thy Spirit come upon us! What marvelous changes would be wrought! What sweeping sacrifices would be made! What an entire change would be experienced in our lives and labors! As many as are possessors of houses and lands would sell them, as upon a former occasion, and bring the price of the things sold, and lay it down at the feet of the Lord’s ministers. With the gift of their possessions would also be the gift of themselves and their children to God for service. There would be another such scene as was witnessed in apostolic times, when the church was scattered abroad, and went everywhere preaching the word. Elijah recognized that his colaborer had asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, he said it would be granted on one condition: “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but9if not, it shall not be so. And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof.” Elisha had fulfilled the one condition of receiving the blessing: “If thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee.” And Elisha saw him taken. One has well said, “There was nothing arbitrary in this demand. And it would have been hardly possible to have devised a more complete criterion of the spiritual condition of this eager aspirant. To see the transactions of the spirit world requires a spirit of no ordinary purity, and of no ordinary faith. No mere mortal eye could have beheld that fiery cortege. To senses dulled with passion or blinded by materialism, the space occupied by the flaming seraphim would have seemed devoid of any special interest, and bare as the rest of the surrounding scenery. Perhaps there was not another individual in all Israel with heart pure enough, or spiritual nature keen enough, to have been sensible of that glorious visitation. Had we been there, we should probably have been unconscious of anything, save the sudden disappearance of the prophet. But since Elisha saw it all, it is clear that his passions were under control; his temper refined; his spiritual life in healthy exercise; and his whole being of such an order as to admit him into the foremost rank of the spiritual world, without risk. Such must we be, by the grace of God, ere we can aspire to possess or wield similar powers.”—Meyer. “I indeed baptize you in water unto repentance,” said John; ‘but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire.’ The prophet Isaiah had declared that the Lord would cleanse his people from their iniquities ‘by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.’ The word of the Lord to Israel was, ‘I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin.’ To sin, wherever found, ‘our God is a consuming fire.’ In all who submit to his power, the Spirit of God will consume sin. But if men cling to sin, they become identified with it. Then the glory of God, which destroys sin, must destroy them. Jacob, after his night of wrestling with the angel, exclaimed, ‘I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.’ Jacob had been guilty of a great sin in his conduct toward Esau; but he had repented. His transgression had been forgiven, and his sin purged; therefore he could endure the revelation of God’s presence. But wherever men came before God while wilfully cherishing evil, they were destroyed. At the second advent of Christ the wicked shall be consumed ‘with the Spirit of his mouth,’ and destroyed ‘with the brightness of his coming.’ The light of the glory of God, which imparts life to the righteous, will slay the wicked.”—The Desire of Ages, pp. 107, 108. You may not be able to pray an eloquent prayer, as men understand eloquence; but you can pray an earnest, acceptable prayer to God. The mother hears, and understands, and delights in the cooings of her babe in the cradle. She pays just as much attention to its little beginnings to talk as she does to the great rollicking boy, who can rattle off language as fast as his mother can listen and catch it. So our heavenly Father hears our first efforts to talk with him. Our efforts, feeble as they seem to us, he hears and answers.—Christian World Pulpit. God Be Merciful to Me a Sinner
By Lady Huntingdon
AFTER the poor labors of the day are over, my heart still cries, “God be merciful to me a sinner!” I am deeply sensible that daily, hourly, and momentarily I stand in need of the sprinkling of my Saviour’s blood. Thanks be to God, the fountain is always open. O what an anchor is this to my soul!—Lady Huntingdon. The Place Honors Not the Man
“THE place honors not the man, ’tis the man who gives honor to the place.” Testimony of Others
By E. T. Russell
It is a source of pleasure to most people to know that others hold the same opinion on theological questions as themselves. I have been highly gratified, in reading Christian (Disciple) publications, to find that they so nearly agree with the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists, not only in regard to the proper mode of Christian baptism, but also in regard to the unchangeable character of the law of God. In fact, some of their publishing houses issue large charts containing the law of God, the ten commandments which were spoken and written by Jehovah. This is strong presumptive evidence of their high appreciation of these sacred precepts, as they are evidently placed in that form to be taught to their children. The readers of the following quotations will at once appreciate the soundness of the positions taken by the leading authors of the Disciple Church:— “The first table of the law, which came before us last Sunday, defines our duties to God; the second table defines our duties to each other. Both must be kept. The divine law has never been repealed. This decalogue is the basis of human law, ‘the common law,’ the world over.”—The Christian Sunday School Teacher, June, 1887. “The words were written by the finger of God; but the tables were not less surely fragments hewn out of the rock of Horeb. Hard, stiff, abrupt as the cliffs from which they were taken, they remain as the firm, unyielding basis on which all true spiritual religion has been built up and sustained. Sinai is not Palestine; the law is not the gospel; but the ten commandments, in letter and in spirit, remain to us as the relic of that time. They represent to us, both in fact and in idea, the granite foundation, the immovable mountain, on which the world is built up, without which all theories of religion are but as shifting and fleeting clouds; they give us the two homely, fundamental laws, which all subsequent revelation has but confirmed and sanctified: the law of our duty toward God, and the law of our duty toward our neighbor.”—Student’s Quarterly, second quarter, 1887. The Sabbath a Memorial of Creation
“Heaven left not this fact, the creation, the basis of a thousand volumes to be gathered from abstract reasonings, vitiated traditions, ingenious analogies, or plausible conjectures, but from a monumental institution which was as universal as the annals of time, as the birth of nations, and as the language spoken by mortals. An institution too, which, notwithstanding its demand, not only of the seventh part of time, but of the seventh day, in uninterrupted succession was celebrated from the creation to the deluge, during the deluge, and after the deluge till the giving of the law.”—A. Campbell, in “Popular Lectures,” pp. 283, 284. “The humblest pillar in honor of the dead has ‘In memory of’ inscribed, either in fact or by circumstances, upon its front; and so reads the fourth principle of the everlasting ten, Remember that in six days God created the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested on the seventh day; wherefore, remember the seventh day, to sanctify and hallow it.”—Id. p. 284. God’s Law Cannot be Changed
“Either the law remains in all its force, to the utmost extent of its literal requirements, or it has passed away with the Jewish ceremonies. If it does not exist, let us abandon a mock observance of another day for it.”—“The Christian Baptist,” by Alexander Campbell, Fifteenth edition, p. 44. St. Louis Christian Publishing Company. The Sabbath Cannot be Changed
“‘But,’ say some, ‘it was changed from the seventh to the first day.’ Where? when? by whom?—No man can tell. No, it never was changed, nor could it be, unless creation was to be gone through again; for the reason assigned must be changed before the observance, or respect to the reason, can be changed. It is all old wives’ fables to talk of the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day. If it be changed, it was that august personage changed it who changes times and laws ex officio—I think his name is Dr. Antichrist.”—Id. “When I think of the nature of sin, and the holy and immutable laws of God, against whom it is committed, I see no difference between one sin and another. There may be great and little sins as to their temporal relations and consequences; but when he against whom every sin is committed, and that divine and holy law which is violated in the least offense, are considered, we must say with the apostle James, ‘He that offendeth in one point is guilty of all.’ It may be the veriest peccadillo on earth; but in heaven’s account, one sin would ruin a world, as it has done; for he that keeps the whole law and yet offends in the least point, is guilty of all. He that said not a jot or tittle of his law shall fall to the ground, he that magnified his law and made it honorable, will suffer no person to add to, to subtract from, to change, or to violate a single point with impunity.”—“A Debate on the Roman Catholic Religion,” between Alexander Campbell and Rt. Rev. John B. Purcell, p. 204. Christian Publishing Company, 1883. “It is clearly proved that the pastors of the church [Catholic] have struck out one of God’s ten words, which, not only in the Old Testament, but in all revelation, are the most emphatically regarded as the synopsis of all religion and morality.”—Id. p. 214.10 Rev. Clark Braden, a minister and an author, and ex-president of one of the Western colleges of the Disciples, said in the Christian Standard of Sept. 26, 1874:— “Others observe the first day, contending without a particle of evidence that the commandment has been changed from the seventh day to the first. Our preachers are by no means agreed in their teachings. They have no well-defined views on the subject, and are defeated when they attempt a defense of our practice of observing the first day, or a review of the arguments of the advocates of the seventh day. Nor are we alone in this. There is no clear, tenable teaching on this subject in our theological works and commentaries, or by any religious press. Advocates of the observance of the first day stultify themselves by taking contradictory and inconsistent positions.” In order to be in harmony with the teachings of the founder of that church and with the teachings of other leading men, as set forth in the preceding quotations, there is only one thing our Christian brethren can do and be consistent, and that is to keep the whole law, not desecrating or omitting one jot or tittle; and if they should do so, in that respect they would be one with us as a people keeping the seventh day. As they have rejected sprinkling, which was instituted by the Catholic Church, and practice immersion as taught in the Scriptures, why should they not reject the Sunday, an institution established by the same church, and observe the seventh day enjoined by “the fourth principle of the everlasting ten”? As it is part of that law of which Christ has said that not a jot or tittle shall fall to the ground, “he that magnified his law and made it honorable will suffer no person to add to, to subtract from, to change, or to violate a single point with impunity;” no, not even if it were changed by “Dr. Antichrist”!