International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Jun 4, 1885
General Articles.
By Mrs. E. G. White
The Church at Ephesus.
AFTER leaving Corinth, Ephesus was for some time the scene of Paul's labors. This city was the great commercial center of Asia Minor. Its harbor was crowded with shipping from all parts of the known world, and its streets thronged with the people of every country. Therefore, like Corinth, Ephesus was a favorable missionary field.
Paul first visited Ephesus when on his way to Jerusalem, to celebrate an approaching festival. During his short stay on this occasion, his preaching made so favorable an impression that he was urgently requested to remain. His plan to visit Jerusalem prevented his accepting this invitation; but he promised to return at some future time.
On resuming his labors in Ephesus, Paul, as was his custom, commenced his work by teaching in the synagogue of the Jews. He continued to labor there for three months, "disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God." He at first met with a favorable reception; but, as in other fields of labor, he was soon violently opposed by the unbelieving Jews. As they persisted in their rejection of the gospel, the apostle ceased preaching in the synagogue.
Paul saw that "a great door and effectual" was open before him, though there were "many adversaries." Ephesus was not only the most magnificent, but the most corrupt, of the cities of Asia. Superstition and sensual pleasure held sway over her teeming population. Under the shadow of her idol temples, criminals of every grade found shelter, and the most degrading vices flourished.
The city was famed for the worship of the goddess Diana and the practice of magic. Here was the great temple of Diana, which was regarded by the ancients as one of the wonders of the world. Its vast extent and surpassing magnificence made it the pride, not only of the city, but of the nation. Kings and princes had enriched it by their donations. The Ephesians vied with one another in adding to its splendor, and it was made the treasure-house for a large share of the wealth of Western Asia.
The idol enshrined in this sumptuous edifice was a rude, uncouth image, declared by tradition to have fallen from the sky. Upon it were inscribed mystic characters and symbols, which were believed to possess great power. When pronounced, they were said to accomplish wonders. When written, they were treasured as a potent charm to guard their possessor from robbers, from disease, and even from death. Numerous and costly books were written by the Ephesians to explain the meaning and use of these symbols.
As Paul was brought in direct contact with the idolatrous inhabitants of Ephesus, the power of God was strikingly displayed through him. The apostles were not always able to work miracles at will. The Lord granted his servants this special power as the progress of his cause or the honor of his name required. Like Moses and Aaron at the court of Pharaoh, the apostle had now to maintain the truth against the lying wonders of the magicians; hence the miracles he wrought were of a different character from those which he had heretofore performed. As the hem of Christ's garment had communicated healing power to her who sought relief by the touch of faith, so on this occasion, garments were made the means of cure to all that believed; "diseases departed from them, and evil spirits went out of them." Yet these miracles gave no encouragement to blind superstition. When Jesus felt the touch of the suffering woman, he exclaimed, "Virtue is gone out of me." So the scripture declares that the Lord wrought miracles by the hand of Paul, and that the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified, and not the name of Paul.
The manifestations of supernatural power which accompanied the apostle's work, were calculated to make a deep impression upon a people given to sorcery, and priding themselves upon their intercourse with invisible beings. The miracles of Paul were far more potent than had ever before been witnessed in Ephesus, and were of such a character that they could not be imitated by the skill of the juggler or the enchantments of the sorcerer. Thus the Lord exalted his servant, even in the estimation of the idolaters themselves, immeasurably above the most favored and powerful of the magicians.
But He to whom all the spirits of evil are subject, and who has given his servants authority over them, was to bring still greater shame and defeat upon those who despised and profaned his holy name. Sorcery had been prohibited in the Mosaic law on pain of death; yet from time to time it had been secretly practiced by apostate Jews. At the time of Paul's visit to Ephesus, there were in the city certain Jewish exorcists, who, seeing the wonders wrought by him, claimed to possess equal power. Believing that the name of Jesus acted as a charm, they determined to cast out evil spirits by the same means which the apostle had employed.
An attempt was made by seven brothers, the sons of one Sceva, a Jewish priest. Finding a man possessed with a demon, they addressed him, "We adjure thee by Jesus, whom Paul preacheth." But the evil spirit answered with scorn, "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" and the one possessed sprung on them with frantic violence, and beat and bruised them, so that they fled out of the house, naked and wounded.
The discomfiture and humiliation of those who had profaned the name of Jesus, soon became known throughout Ephesus, by both Jews and Gentiles. Unmistakable proof had been given of the sacredness of that name, and the peril which they incurred who should invoke it while they had no faith in Christ's divine mission. Terror seized the minds of many, and the work of the gospel was regarded by all with awe and reverence.
Facts which had previously been concealed were now brought to light. In accepting Christianity, some of the brethren had not fully renounced their heathen superstitions. The practice of magic was still to some extent continued among them. Convinced of their error by the events which had recently occurred, they came and made a full confession to Paul, and publicly acknowledged their secret arts to be deceptive and Satanic. Many sorcerers also abjured the practice of magic, and received Christ as their Saviour. They brought together the costly books containing the mysterious "Ephesian letters," and the secrets of their art, and burned them in the presence of all the people. These treatises on divination contained forms of communication with evil spirits. They were the rules and regulations of the worship of Satan,—directions for soliciting his help and obtaining information from him.
The influence of these events was more widespread than even Paul then realized. The manifestation of the power of Christ was a grand victory for Christianity in the very stronghold of superstition. From Ephesus the news was widely circulated, and a strong impetus was given to the cause of Christ. These scenes in the ministry of Paul lived in the memory of men, and were the means of converting many to the gospel, long after the apostle himself had finished his course.
It is fondly supposed that heathen superstitions have disappeared before the civilization of the nineteenth century. But the word of God and the stern testimony of facts declare that sorcery is practiced in this Christian age and Christian nation as verily as by the old-time magicians. The heathen oracles have their counterpart in the spiritualistic mediums, the clairvoyants, and fortune-tellers of to-day. The mystic voices that spoke at Endor and Ephesus are still by their lying words misleading the children of men. The mysteries of heathen worship are replaced by the secret associations and seances, the obscurities and wonders, of the sorcerers of our time. Their disclosures are eagerly received by thousands who refuse to accept light from God's word or from his Spirit. While they speak with scorn of the magicians of old, the great deceiver laughs in338triumph as they yield to his arts in a different form.
His agents still claim to cure disease. They profess to employ electricity, magnetism, or the so-called "sympathetic remedies;" but in truth the magnetic power of which they boast is directly attributable to the sorcery of Satan. By this means he casts his spell over the bodies and souls of men.
The sick, the bereaved, the curious, are communicating with evil spirits. All who venture here are on dangerous ground. The word of truth declares how God regards them. In ancient times he pronounced judgments upon one who sent for counsel to a heathen oracle: "Is it not because there is not a God in Israel that thou sendest to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron? therefore thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die."
The visible and the invisible world are in close contact. Could the veil be lifted, we should see evil angels employing all their arts to deceive and destroy. Whenever an influence is exerted to cause men to forget God, there Satan is exercising his bewitching power. All who venture into scenes of dissipation or irreligious pleasure, or seek the society of the sensualist, the skeptic, or the blasphemer, by personal intercourse or through the medium of the press, are tampering with sorcery. Ere they are aware, the mind is bewildered and the soul polluted. The apostle's admonition to the Ephesian church should be heeded by the people of God to-day: "Have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them."
(Concluded next week.)
JERUSALEM.
By Thomas Hill
JERUSALEM, oh, sacred name,
How rich in holy memories!
The brutal Roman quenched the flame
Which lit her daily sacrifice;
But memory still delights to dwell
Upon the earlier, purer days,
When prophets' words like manna fell,
And Zion's courts were filled with praise.
The New Jerusalem! That word
Awakes our holiest hope and prayer;
The promise seems too long deferred;
Yet faith will cast on God its care.
The dawning light already gleams,
And calls for songs of grateful praise;
We hail with joy its earliest beams,
And loud our hallelujahs raise.
O city of our God, descend!
As John, in holy vision, saw;
Our anarchy and darkness end,
In light and liberty and law.
God and the Lamb shall be our light,
From doubt and error making free;
God's will to our illumined sight,
Shall law and life and rapture be.
—Thomas Hill, D. D., in Independent.
In Bonds.
By Christian Union
THE world will never forget the homeward march of the ten thousand Greeks under Xenophon. It was not a victorious advance; it was not a fruitful conquest; it was a retreat, and yet forever memorable among all the brilliant exploits of valiant men. It was a great and unforgettable achievement because of the numberless and terrible obstacles which were overcome. The Greeks were more than a thousand miles from the sea which washed their native shores; deep, swift rivers, a wild country, mountain ranges, hunger, thirst, and interminable marches, lay between them and any hope of safety; they were an insignificant band of ten thousand among hostile millions. What wonder, then, that when they saw at last the vision of the blue Ægean the tears sprung to their eyes, and they cried aloud in their joy? All the world has heard their shout, and remembers how they turned defeat into immortal victory.
Paul was all his life confronted by tremendous obstacles; weakness of body, hatred of Jews, misconception of Christians, bonds, scourgings, imprisonments, trials, shipwrecks, crowd the few chapters which tell the story of his active life. He never had a free field on which to display at leisure, and in the order of a deliberate planning, all the forces and gifts of his nature; he was always in bonds of some sort; and yet, shackled, cramped, and burdened, what a triumphant life was his! What a victorious march was that which began at Damascus, on the borders of the oldest civilization, and ended at Rome, on the confines of the great new world that was rising in Western Europe! Paul, a prisoner, was more potent than the Roman emperor with the resources of the world in his hand!
No man lives whose life is entirely free from limitations, restrictions, and burdens; in one way or another we all are crippled, disabled, hampered; bonds are part of the universal experience. This is a dark fact, but not a discouraging one; it weakens only those who choose to be made weak by it; to all others it is a source of power. The measure of success in life is not clear, symmetrical achievement; it is the result attained as against the obstacles in the path. The man who starts with bad blood in his veins, bad surroundings in his childhood, imperfect education, and advances to honesty, honor, and influence in a humble sphere, has done a far greater deed than he who, starting with good influences rocking his cradle, overshadowing his childhood, and opening all the gates of opportunity as he advances, moves to the front rank and dies in the fullness of a rounded career; the first and less apparent success required the greater forth-putting of power, and was therefore the greater achievement. When drifts lie piled upon the track the locomotive puts forth as much mechanical energy in going a mile as would be required for the swift journey of a hundred miles along an unobstructed road.
In every community there are men and women painfully conscious of their limitations, defects of nature and training, and who are tempted to fold their hands in despair because they are too feeble to advance the world's work. If they were rich, they say to themselves, they would give bountifully; if they were educated, they would stand bravely at the front; if they had social position, they would make noble use of the influence it gives; if they had even inherited a good name, they would do something worth doing; but none of these things are theirs, and therefore they are useless to their fellows! They are prisoners, but, unlike Paul, they sit and look at their chains, instead of standing erect, and letting their bonds emphasize the victory of the spirit.
It is to just such lives—lives hampered, limited, burdened—that the noblest heroisms and the most honorable achievements are possible. To inherit a blemished name, and yet to be sweet, patient, and silent, is to draw healing waters from a bitter fountain, and to turn weakness into strength; to be without education, and yet to strive constantly for enlargement of life, is to develop that intelligence which is the supreme result of the highest training; to be poor, obscure, and without social recognition, and yet to be helpful, without malice or envy, doing one's work with scant recognition, but in the spirit of Christ, is to add another to the careers which enrich and redeem the world. To be in bonds, and yet be strong, is to achieve a success such as greatly endowed natures often miss. Noble in the vision of God, and in the light of eternity, are they who, being hampered and burdened, strive heroically, live hopefully, and die triumphantly.—Christian Union.
The Salvation Army and Common Sense
The Salvation Army has again illustrated the fact that its enemies are largely those of its own household. Thus quite recently a Salvation Squad occupied a part of a street in Schenectady in force, and made their demonstration in front of police headquarters with the idea probably of regenerating the entire force. The authorities demurred to being captured in this way, and ordered the Salvationists to move on, which they refused to do. Five days' imprisonment for two of the officers was the result, and at this writing probably they are consoling themselves by a comparison of their case with that of Paul and Silas. But there is a wide difference between them. Paul and Silas were imprisoned because Paul's working of a miracle, coupled with his teaching, lessened the profits of the Philippian jewelers, whereas the Salvation Army officers were arrested for blockading the sidewalk. And then Paul never obstructed the sidewalk. A little common sense is what the Salvationists need, possessing themselves of which they can go on with their work without incurring the inconvenience of an attendance at the police court.—Christian at Work.
The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
"The heavens declare the glory of God."
Divine Dealings.
MANY have found relief in their deep distress as they have reviewed what God has done for them and for others. Thus "the patriarch David" could say, "Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice." He could lead the people of God in their songs of praise, saying, "The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad." The same ground of encouragement is afforded now, and much of God's goodness may be seen by his people in their own experience as well as in the experience of others. While they may have occasion to say with the psalmist, concerning many a source of trouble, "This is my infirmity," they may also fortify themselves against despair, or discouragement even, in saying, "But I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High. I will remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate on all thy works, and talk of thy doings."
With each one of his "dear children," God has dealt wonderfully as well as graciously, affording them countless proofs of his power and love and faithfulness; and by what they have known of him in the way in which he has passed before them, they have good reason to encourage themselves in him. Who of them has not enough in all past experience to produce the conviction that there is no need of being discouraged, if God remains the same in helpfulness and beneficence as he has been hitherto? Though they may be in the deepest waters of adversity, yet the remembrance of past deliverances may give them hope of being again delivered. Thus David, when about to meet Goliath, who had defied the armies of the living God, nerved his spirit for the present, by recalling the past, and saying, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
In like manner those who can call David's God their God, may hope to be delivered out of the hand of their Philistine of whatever name, whether trouble, or grief, or hostility, or opposition, or disappointment, or bereavement, or friendlessness, or hopelessness; and in this confidence they may dismiss their fears and quell their anxieties. From what he had experienced in the trying scenes through which he had passed, David looked for deliverance out of the peril of an encounter with the giant of Gath.
So all the truly devout, in relation to God, may and should be comforted in their sorrows and raised above the depressions of their greatest trials. They must expect, in all their earthly way, to meet with various difficulties and adversities, but he who has been their strength is able to deliver from, or support in, the greatest perplexities or calamities which may await them; and therefore they should not give place to feelings of disquietude, nor yield to the pressure of dejection or discouragement. Their experience and observation of God's dealings with them and with others ought to effectually guard them against despondency or despair in any circumstances in which they may be placed.
Those who have been variously blessed may cherish the assurance that they will continue to share in the blessings which God is pleased to bestow, and say to him, "Wilt thou not again appear, where thou hast once appeared?"—The Watchman.
Little Things That Save Souls
You may not be able to do any great thing for the Master. This may not be required of you. But you can do some little thing; and you do not know what a little thing is sometimes blest to the conversion of a soul. A look of sympathy, a word of counsel, a sweet song, an act of kindness, may be the means of saving a soul. Do what you can.—Sel.
Decorations for Churches.
By E. P. Marvin
ART is being employed more and more to "beautify the sanctuary" and to render the administration of the gospel "attractive" to the world. Several books have lately been printed for instruction in church decoration, and especially in ecclesiastical entertainments. I wish to direct all churches that mean to be "up with the times," to a rich variety of inscriptions or mottoes, suitable for walls, windows, ceiling, pulpit, gallery, or organ. There is no copyright upon them, and in some cases, if they are appropriately selected, I will agree to furnish an approved artist to do the lettering free, "for the good of the cause."
These inscriptions may all be found in an old book printed and sold for a small sum, in New York City, by the American Bible Society. Here are a few sample selections and adaptations:—
1. A high church filled with sectarian zeal, and fostering the stimulus of divisions: 1 Cor. 1: 10-13; Phil. 2: 3.
2. A church with secular trustees, chosen to represent the world, and help "run the church:" 2 Cor. 6: 14-18; Acts 6: 2, 3.
3. Appropriate to the annual pew auction, when Money-bags buys his place, and the Lord's poor are assigned theirs: Jas. 2: 1-7; John 2: 14-16.
5. For any people who were bound to build "the finest church in town," and remain bound by a mortgage: Rom. 13: 8; Prov. 22: 7.
6. Mottoes for "banks of flowers and fruits," covering the pulpit platform: Gen. 4: 3; Jude 11.
7. For a church about to suspend all operations and take a midsummer vacation: 1 Cor. 15: 58; 2 Tim. 4: 2.
8. For "Imitation churches," that are lapsing into the observance of papal holidays: Gal. 5: 1; 4: 9, 10.
9. For a church that has a preacher who tries to be sensational, rationalistic, or smart, and to spin out of his little empty head some novelty or "latest thought." This should be read to him by the senior deacon, or elder, just before he rises to "preach:" 2 Tim. 4: 1-8; Rev. 22: 18, 19.
10. Something for the choir loft, when occupied by persons who, under the inspiration of brandy and vanity, "shout lies to heaven" for sanctuary worship: Col. 3: 16; Ex. 20: 7.
11. For churches that are allied with play-house and club-room as bureaus of amusements and caterers: Luke 19: 45, 46; 1 Cor. 11: 22.
12. If any church finds all the foregoing selections applicable just one more should be added to cover all: Rev. 3: 13-20.—Rev. E. P. Marvin, in Messiah's Herald.
The Moral Basis of Practical Efficiency.
EVERYBODY recognizes the value of morality in the sphere of morals; but not everybody recognizes the surpassing value of morality in the varied spheres of practical efficiency in every-day life. Yet the moral basis is as truly a source of power in the laborer who pounds paving-stones in the street, as in the minister who expounds gospel truth in the pulpit.
No one gives hearty credence to a preacher of morals who is himself known as immoral. No one feels that such a man is fit to be a preacher. Indeed, there is hardly any suggestion of Paul more widely accepted by men of the world, as peculiarly appropriate to the instructor in morals, than his pungent questions: "Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery?" Nor does any one want a man in any line of practical performance, who lacks morality at the pivotal point of his personal duty just there. A band of robbers would want an honest treasurer. And a conclave of assassins would want to be sure of the unimpeachable fidelity of every accomplice. So all the way up and down the ranks of busy life. The results of morality at one point or another are deemed indispensable in every instance. But the error is in supposing that a moral basis is not requisite for practical efficiency in any and every sphere of duty.
A moral purpose, a controlling moral conviction, gives added force to the words and to the actions of any man in any sphere. It is not that he can have no power without it. It is not that he can never appear to an advantage with its lack. But it is, that its possession gives an increased potency to his best work, and to his poorer; and that it secures a trustworthiness and a uniformity to his endeavors, not otherwise attainable. You feel the moral purpose of a writer, or a speaker, in behalf of any cause, anywhere. It thrills in his writings, it sounds in his spoken appeals. You cannot have an abiding confidence in a lawyer or a physician whose morals you distrust. Unless you can believe in him as a man, you cannot unfailingly believe the words of his counsel. And who wants an assistant, or a servant, who cannot be left without watching?
It is not even possible for a man to act always on the conviction that "honesty is the best policy," unless there is a moral basis to his conviction. There are many times when honesty does not seem to be politic; when, indeed, the right course seems to be the more dangerous course; and then it requires faith in order to believe in the policy, in the prudence, in the safety, of doing just right—and taking the risks. A moral basis is essential to constancy in keeping up a fair show before the world; for the temptation is, sooner or later, very strong, to defy even appearances in the hope of a proffered gain. Unless, therefore, the man is sound inside, his unsoundness is in constant danger of working out to the surface.
It is the basis, not the superstructure, of practical efficiency, that is found in the moral status of the man. It is because the man is an honest man at heart, that he is sure to be a trustworthy treasurer; not that he does well because he consents to be honest while acting as a treasurer. It is because the man lives for a high purpose, that he will show his superior character in every act and relation of life; not that he sees an advantage in well-doing where he is for the time being, and therefore adheres to the precepts of morality in that sphere. It is not the slavish obedience to the letter of the law, in the immediate realm of his service; but it is that love of right which is the fulfilling of the law, that gives a man practical effectiveness in proportion to his moral purpose of life.
A moral purpose in life shows itself in a higher standard of morals all the way through. The lack of a moral purpose is indicated in little things and in larger. And the lack of a moral purpose, however indicated, points to a corresponding lack of practical efficiency. The young man who goes to balls or to the theater, who drinks wine or beer, or who smokes cigars or cigarettes, is not worth so much, hour by hour, or day by day, to his employer, for the posting of accounts, for the selling of goods, for the setting of types, for the handling of a surveyor's chain, or for any other work in city, or in country, or on the sea, as if he had a higher moral standard, and conformed to it. And wise employers are recognizing this fact on every side. Many a young man fails of employment, or of promotion, when he seems otherwise well fitted for usefulness, simply because his conduct in such matters shows him to be lacking in that high moral purpose which is the surest basis of all practical efficiency in life.
It would be well if more young men realized that in fitting themselves for the business of life—fitting, in college, in the counting-room, in the factory, or on the farm—they have chief need to secure a moral basis of conduct, and that that basis of conduct can be secured only in character. Character indicates itself in little things; but it tells in all things.—Sunday School Times.
Awake to Duty.
By R. F. Cottrell
THE solemn truths which pertain to our times are enough, it would seem, to cause all who have the evidences of them, to cut loose from the present world and prepare for the future. Those who believe cannot be satisfied unless they can feel assured that they are living for the world to come, and are in a state of acceptance before God through our Lord Jesus Christ. One cannot believe and have a full realizing sense of the truth without feeling a strong desire to be right with God, and to do all in his power for the salvation of others. The inquiry of the heart will be, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? Those who have no anxiety to help forward the cause and be instrumental in saving men, cannot have a true sense of the truth nor of their duty. The great work of this last and most fearfully solemn message, and the little time in which it is to be done, furnish motives to stir the heart and arouse to action, if anything can. All should feel an ardent desire to do something, and all that will, may. The way is open for those who will, to take a part in the work of God. And may all who profess faith show it by their works.
It will not be regretted, a little in the future, that we labored and sacrificed in the cause; but the regrets will be that such opportunities of doing good to our fellow-men were not improved. Now we can do something in the cause of human salvation. In a little time from this we cannot. Let us be stirred to action, diligent and persevering, while it is called to-day.
R. F. COTTRELL.
Faithful Men in Church Service
By Methodist Recorder
SOME men serve the church in order to serve themselves. They seek positions in the church in order to acquire influence to be used in promoting their own personal, selfish interests. They never bind themselves down to hard, continuous work, exclusively for the church. When certain positions suit their convenience and their personal ends, they are willing, and perhaps anxious, to fill them; but when such positions cannot be obtained, something else that will keep them before the church, and enable them to carry out their personal ends, is secured. There are men prominent in the church who have never rendered the church any really valuable service—men of projects—men of many enterprises—men who hold on to the church with one hand and to the world with the other.
What the church needs, and should appreciate, is men of one work—men wholly devoted to the work of soul-saving—men who are not in the service to-day and out of it to-morrow, as suits their convenience, but who with unswerving purpose pursue their work, taking good and bad as it comes, and laying their all upon the altar of church service. It is persistent, untiring, faithful men who promote the interests of the church, and who deserve to be held in honor. Mere time-servers never do the church any good.
Under the Shadow of the Almighty
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Ps. 91: 1.