1900

Many are inquiring, "Why is it that we have so little strength? Is it because heaven is sealed? Is it because there are no precious blessings in store for us? Is it because our source of strength is exhausted, and we can receive no more? Why is it that we are not all light in the Lord? He who was a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, who was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, is high and lifted up, and the glory of his train fills the temple. Why is this glory withheld from those who are in a world of sin and sorrow, trouble and sadness, corruption and iniquity?"

The trouble lies with ourselves. Our iniquities have separated us from God. We are not filled, because we do not feel our need; we do not hunger and thirst after righteousness. The promise is that if we hunger and thirst after righteousness, we shall be filled. The promise is to you, my brethren and sisters. It is to me; it is to every one of us. It is the hungering, thirsting souls who will be filled. We may come to Christ just as we are, in our weakness, with our folly and imperfections, and offer our petitions in faith. In spite of our errors, our continual backsliding, the voice of the longsuffering Saviour invites us, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." To the needy, the fainting, those who are bowed down with burden and care and perplexity, the invitation is, Come. It is Christ's glory to encircle us in the arms of his mercy and love, and bind up our wounds. He will sympathize with those who need sympathy, and strengthen those who need strength.

To the unbelieving, obstinate Pharisees, Christ said, "Ye will not come to me, that ye might have life." Oh that this may never be said of us! There is life and peace and joy in Jesus Christ. He is the sinner's friend. In him there is power and glory and strength for all. If we believe that this power and glory are ours, and comply with the conditions laid down in his word, we shall be strong in the strength of the Mighty One.

Many professed Christians are well represented by the vine that is trailing upon the ground,and entwining its tendrils about the roots an rubbish that lie in its path. To all such the message comes, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty." There are conditions to meet if we would be blessed and honored by God. We are to separate from the world, and refuse to touch those things that will separate our affections from God. God has the first and highest claims upon his people. Set your affections upon him and upon heavenly things. Your tendrils must be severed from everything earthly. You are exhorted to touch not the unclean thing; for in touching this, you will yourself become unclean. It is impossible for you to unite with those who are corrupt, and still remain pure. "What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial?" God and Christ and the heavenly host would have man know that if he unites with the corrupt, he will become corrupt. Ample provision has been made that we may be raised from the lowlands of earth, and have our affections fastened upon God and upon heavenly things.

Will separation from the world, in obedience to the divine command, unfits us for the work the Lord has left us? Will it hinder us from doing good to those around us?--No; the firmer hold we have on heaven, the greater will be our power for usefulness. We should study the Pattern, that the spirit which dwelt in Christ may dwell in us. The Saviour was not found among the exalted and honorable of the world. He did not spend his time among those who were seeking their ease and pleasure. He worked to help those who needed help, to save the lost and perishing, to lift up the bowed down, to break the yoke of oppression from those in bondage, to heal the afflicted, and to speak words of sympathy and consolation to the distressed and sorrowing. We are required to follow this example. The more we partake of the Spirit of Christ, the more we shall seek to do for our fellow men. We shall bless the needy and comfort the distressed. Filled with a love for perishing souls, we shall find our delight in following the footsteps of the Majesty of heaven.

The requirements of God are set plainly before us; the question to be settled is, Will we comply with them? Will we accept the condition laid down in his word--separation from the world? This is not the work of a moment or of a day. It is not accomplished by bowing at the family altar and offering up lip service, nor by public exhortation and prayer. It is a lifelong work. Our consecration to God must be a living principle, interwoven with the life, and leading to self-denial and self-sacrifice. It must underlie all our thoughts, and be the spring of every action. This will elevate us above the world, and separate us from its polluting influence.

All our actions are affected by our religious experience. If our experience is founded in God; if we are daily tasting the power of the world to come, and have the fellowship of the Spirit; if each day we hold with a firmer grasp the higher life, principles that are holy and elevating will be inwrought in us, and it will be as natural for us to seek purity and holiness and separation from the world, as it is for the angels of glory to execute the mission of love assigned them. Every one who enters the pearly gates of the city of God will be a doer of the Word. He will be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

Probation is about to close. In heaven the edict will soon go forth, "It is done." "He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still. And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Soon the last prayer for sinners will have been offered, the last tear shed, the last warning given, the last entreaty made, and the sweet voice of mercy will be heard no more. This is why Satan is making such mighty efforts to secure men and women in his snare. He has come down with great power, knowing that his time is short. His special work is to secure professed Christians in his ranks, that through them he may allure and destroy souls. The enemy is playing the game of life for every soul. He is working to remove from us everything of a spiritual nature, and in the place of the precious graces of Christ to crowd our hearts with the evil traits of the carnal nature,--hatred, evil surmising, jealousy, love of the world, love of self, love of pleasure, and the pride of life. We need to be fortified against the incoming foe, who is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; for unless we are watchful and prayerful, these evils will enter the heart, and crowd out all that is good.

Many who profess to believe the word of God do not seem to understand the deceptive working of the enemy. They do not realize that the end of time is near; but Satan knows it; and while men sleep, he works. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life are controlling men and women. Satan is at work even among the people of God, to cause disunion. Selfishness, corruption, and evil of every kind are taking a firm hold upon hearts. With many the precious word of God is neglected. A novel or a storybook engages the attention, and fascinates the mind. That which excites the imagination is eagerly devoured, while the word of God is set aside. It was because they overlooked the word of God that the Jewish nation rejected Christ, demanding that a robber be granted them, and that the Prince of Life be crucified. And in these last days professed Christians are committing the same sin. They are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting because they suffer their minds to be engrossed with things of little importance, while eternal truth is neglected. The truth of God, which would elevate and sanctify and refine, and fit men for the finishing touch of immortality, is set aside for things of minor importance. Oh that this blindness might pass away, and men and women understand the work that Satan is accomplishing among them! Mrs. E. G. White.

Another great cause of mortality among infants and youth is the custom of leaving their arms and shoulders naked. This fashion can not be too severely censured. It has cost the life of thousands. The air, bathing the arms and limbs, and circulating about the armpits, chills these sensitive portions of the body so near the vitals, and hinders the healthy circulation of the blood, thus inducing disease, especially of the lungs and brain. Those who regard the health of their children of more value than the foolish flattery of visitors or the admiration of strangers, will ever clothe the shoulders and arms of their tender infants. The mother's attention has been frequently called to the purple arms and hands of her child, and she has been cautioned in regard to this health-and-life-destroying practice; and the answer has often been, "I always dress my children in this manner. They get used to it. I can not endure to see the arms of infants covered. It looks old-fashioned." These mothers dress their delicate infants as they would not venture to dress themselves. They know that if their own arms were exposed without a covering, they would shiver with chilliness. Can infants of a tender age endure this process of hardening without receiving injury? Some children may have at birth such strong constitutions that they can endure this abuse without its costing them life; yet thousands are sacrificed, and tens of thousands have the foundation laid for a short, invalid life, by the custom of bandaging and surfeiting the body with much clothing, while the arms--which are at greater distance from the seat of life, and for that cause need even more clothing than the chest and lungs--are left naked. Can mothers expect to have quiet, healthy infants, who thus treat them?

When the limbs and arms are chilled, the blood is driven from these parts to the lungs and head. The circulation is impeded, and nature's fine machinery does not move harmoniously. The system of the infant is deranged, and it cries and moans because of the abuse it is compelled to suffer. The mother feeds it, thinking it must be hungry, but food only increases its suffering. Tight bands and an overloaded stomach do not agree. The child has no room to breathe. It may scream, struggle and pant for breath, and yet the mother not mistrust the cause. She could relieve the sufferer at once, at least of tight bandages, if she understood the nature of the case. At length she becomes alarmed, thinks her child really ill, and summons a doctor, who looks upon the infant a few moments, and then deals out poisonous medicines, or something called a soothing cordial, which the mother, faithful to directions, pours down the throat of the abused infant. If it was not diseased in reality before, it is after this process. It suffers now from drug disease, the most stubborn and incurable of all diseases. If it recovers, it must bear about more or less in its system the effects of that poisonous drug, and it is liable to spasms, heart disease, dropsy on the brain, or consumption. Some infants are not strong enough to bear even a trifle of drug poisons; and as nature rallies to meet the intruder, the vital forces of the tender infant are too severely taxed, and death ends the scene.

In this age of the world, it is no strange sight to see the mother lingering by the cradle of her suffering, dying infant, her heart torn with anguish as she listens to its feeble wail, and witnesses its expiring struggles. It seems mysterious to her that God should thus afflict her innocent child. She does not think that her wrong course has brought about the sad result. She just as surely destroyed her infant's hold on life as if she had given it poison. Disease never comes without a cause. The way is first prepared, and disease invited, by disregarding the laws of health. God does not take pleasure in the sufferings and death of little children. He commits them to parents, for them to educate physically, mentally, and morally, and to train for usefulness here, and for heaven at last.

If the mother remains in ignorance in regard to the physical needs of her child, and, as the result, her child sickens, she need not expect that God will work a miracle to counteract her agency in making it sick. Thousand of infants have died who might have lived. They are martyrs to their parents' ignorance of the relation which food, dress, and the air they breathe, sustain to health and life. Mothers in past ages should have been physicians to their own children. The time the mother devoted to the extra beautifying of her infant's wardrobe, she should have spent in a nobler purpose--in educating her mind with regard to her own physical needs and those of her offspring. She should have been storing her mind with useful knowledge in regard to the best course she could pursue in rearing her children healthfully, realizing that generations would be injured or benefited by her course of action.

Mothers who have troublesome, fretful infants should study into the cause of their uneasiness. By so doing, they will often see that something is wrong in their management. It is often the case that the mother becomes alarmed at the symptoms of illness manifested by her child, and hurriedly summons a physician, when the infant's sufferings would have been relieved by taking off its tight clothing, and putting upon it garments properly loose and short, thus allowing it the use of its feet and limbs. Mothers should study from cause to effect. If the child has taken cold, it is generally owing to the wrong management of the mother. If she covers its head as well as its body while sleeping, in a short time it will be in a perspiration, caused by labored breathing, because of the lack of pure, vital air. When she takes it from beneath the covering, it is almost sure to take cold. The arms being naked, exposes the infant to constant cold, and congestion of lungs or brain. These exposures prepare the way for the infant to become sickly and dwarfed. Mrs. E. G. White.

Provision has been made whereby the communication between heaven and our souls may be free and open. Finite man can place himself where rays of light and glory from the throne of God will be given him in abundance. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God which shines in the face of Jesus Christ may shine upon him. He may stand where it can be said of him, "Ye are the light of the world." Were it not for the communication between heaven and earth, there would be no light in the world. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, all men would perish beneath the just judgment of God. But the world is not left in darkness. The longsuffering mercy of God is still extended to the children of men, and it is his design that the rays of light which emanate from the throne of God shall be reflected by the children of light.

The love revealed in Christ's life of self-denial and self-sacrifice is to be seen in the life of his followers. We are called "so to walk, even as he walked." The cause of our weakness is our refusal to obey this command. On every side opportunities are given us to work for our fellow men, in supplying not only their temporal wants, but also their spiritual necessities. It is our duty to lead souls to "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." It is important that we fill aright our position in the world, in society, and in the church; but in order to do this, we must have a firm hold upon righteousness. Our faith must reach within the veil, whither our Forerunner has for us entered. If we would take hold of the eternal promises of God, we must have a faith that will not be denied, a steadfast, immovable faith that will take hold of the unseen.

It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now. It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us; for we can not remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch. But how many are slaves to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. They are not partakers of the divine nature, and therefore they can not escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. They live to serve and honor self. Their constant study is, What shall I eat? what shall I drink? and wherewithal shall I be clothed? You talk of sacrifice, but you do not know what sacrifice means. You have not tasted its first draught. You talk of the cross of Christ, you profess the faith; but you have had no experience in lifting the cross and bearing it after your Lord. If you were partakers of the divine nature, the Spirit that dwelt in Christ would dwell in you. His tenderness and love, his pity and compassion, would be manifested in your life. You would not then wait to have the needy and unfortunate brought to you. You would not need to be entreated to feel for the woes of others. It would be as natural for you to minister to the needs of the unfortunate as it was for Christ to go about doing good.

Those who profess the religion of Christ should understand the responsibility resting upon them. They should feel that this is an individual work, an individual preaching of Christ. If each would realize this, and take hold of the work, we should be as mighty as an army with banners. The heavenly Dove would hover over us. The light of the glory of God would be no more shut away from us than it was from the devoted Enoch.

The command is given, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate." But it is not for you to say, I have nothing to do with my neighbor. He is buried in the world; I am not his keeper. For this very reason you should have something to say to him. The light given you, you are not to hide under a bushel. It was not given you for yourself alone. Let your light shine before men, is the command. Will you let it shine? It may be understood that you believe the seventh day is the Sabbath, that you believe in the Lord's soon return; but what good will this do your neighbor unless you carry your belief into your daily life? You may talk of being a follower of Christ; but this will not benefit those around you unless you imitate the great Example. Your profession may be as high as heaven; but this will not save you or your fellow men unless you are Christlike. A pure example will do more to enlighten the world than all your profession. In this way your light will shine, and others, seeing your good works, will glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Oh that the Lord would lead us to feel as we have never felt before! If you knew that you had but one hour more of probation, you would change your course. You would not dare to stand in the position you are in today. And yet you do not know that you will live one day longer. You can not call one hour your own. We know not how soon death may feel for our heartstrings. We know not how soon the ax will be laid at the root of the tree, and the sentence go forth, "Cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?" Will you pass on in your sinful state, with envy and jealousy and hatred in your hearts? If you think you can lay down the oar, and still make your way up stream, you mistake. It is only by earnest effort that you can stem the current.

How many there are as weak as water who might have a never-failing source of strength. Heaven is ready to impart to us, that we may be mighty in God, and attain to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. What increase of spiritual power have you gained during the last year? Who among us have gained one precious attainment after another, until envy, pride, malice, jealousy, and selfishness have been swept away, and only the graces of the Spirit remain,--meekness, forbearance, gentleness, charity? God will help us if we take hold of the help he has provided.

These words are true, and you need them. Oh that you would arouse, and wrench your souls from the grasp of the enemy! Oh that you would engage in the battle of life in earnest, putting on the whole armor of God that you may war successfully! Satan is already weaving his net about you. He does not wait for his prey to be brought to him. He goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. But does he always roar?--No; when it serves his purpose, he sinks his voice to the softest whisper, and, wrapped in garments of light, appears as an angel from heaven. Men have so little knowledge of his wiles, so little understanding of the mystery of iniquity, that he outgenerals them almost every time.

Many who have lived under the blazing light of truth act as if they had nothing to do. God calls upon every one of you to take up life's burdens, to engage in the warfare as you have never done before. You who love to speak of the faults of others, arouse, and look into your own hearts. Take your Bibles, and go to God in earnest prayer. Ask him to teach you to know yourself, to understand your weakness, your sins and follies, in the light of eternity. Ask him to show your yourself as you stand in the sight of heaven. This is an individual work. Every man is to build over against his own house. You have nothing to do with the sins of others, but you have much to do with yourself. In humility send your petition to God, and do not rest day nor night until you can say, Hear what the Lord hath done for me,--until you can bear a living testimony, and tell of victories won.

Jacob wrestled with the angel all night before he gained the victory. When morning broke, the angel said, "Let me go, for the day breaketh." But Jacob answered, "I will not let thee go, except thou bless me." Then his prayer was answered. "Thy name shall be called no more Jacob," said the angel, "but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." We need the perseverance of Jacob, and the unyielding faith of Elijah. Time after time Elijah sent his servant to see if the cloud was rising, but no cloud was to be seen. At last, after seven times, the servant returned with the word, "There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." Did Elijah stand back and say, I will not receive this evidence; I will wait till the heavens gather blackness?--No. He said, It is time for us to be going. He ventured all upon that token from God, and sent his messenger before him to tell Ahab that there was the sound of abundance of rain.

It is such faith as this that we need, faith that will take hold, and will not let go. Inspiration tells us that Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are. Heaven heard his prayer. He prayed that rain might cease, and there was no rain. Again he prayed for rain, and rain was sent. And why should not the Lord be entreated in behalf of his people today? Oh that the Lord would imbue us with his Spirit! Oh that the curtain might be rolled back that we might understand the mystery of godliness!

God calls upon you to put all your strength into the work. You will have to render an account for the good you might have done had you been standing in the right position. It is time you were co-workers with Christ and the heavenly angels. Will you awake? There are souls among you who need your help. Have you felt a burden to bring them to the cross? Bear in mind that just the degree of love you have for God you will reveal for your brethren, and for souls who are lost and undone, out of Christ. Mrs. E. G. White.

Parents are accountable, in a great degree, for the physical health of their children. Those children who survive the abuses received in their infancy, are not out of danger in their childhood. Their parents still pursue a wrong course toward them. Their limbs, as well as their arms, are left almost naked. Mothers dress the upper part of their limbs with muslin pantalets, which reach about to the knee, while the lower part of their limbs is covered with only one thickness of flannel or cotton, and their feet are dressed with thin-soled gaiter boots.

The extremities are chilled, and the heart has thrown upon it double labor, in forcing the blood into these chilled extremities; and when the blood has performed its circuit through the body, and returned to the heart, it is not the same vigorous warm current that left it. It has been chilled in its passage through the limbs. The heart, weakened by too great labor, and poor circulation of poor blood, is then compelled to still greater exertion, in order to throw the blood to the extremities, which are never as healthfully warm as other parts of the body. The heart fails in its efforts, and the limbs become habitually cold; and the blood, which is chilled away from the extremities, is thrown back upon the lungs and brain, and inflammation and congestion of the lungs or of the brain is the result.

God holds mothers accountable for the diseases their children are compelled to suffer. Mothers bow at the shrine of fashion, and sacrifice the health and lives of their children. Many mothers are ignorant of the result of their course in thus clothing their children. But should they not inform themselves, where so much is at stake? Is ignorance a sufficient excuse for you who possess reasoning powers? You can inform yourselves if you will, and dress your children healthfully.

Parents may give up the expectation of their children's having health while they dress them in cloaks and furs, and load down those portions of the body with clothing where there is no call for such an amount, while leaving the extremities, which should have especial protection, almost naked. The portions of the body close to the lifesprings need less covering than the limbs, which are remote from the vital organs. If the limbs and feet could have the extra coverings usually put upon the shoulders, lungs, and heart, and healthy circulation be induced to the extremities, the vital organs would act their part healthfully, with only their share of clothing.

I appeal to you, mothers; do you not feel alarmed and heartsick in seeing your children pale and dwarfed, suffering with catarrh, influenza, croup, scrofulous swellings upon the face and neck, inflammation and congestion of lungs and brain? Have you studied from cause to effect? Have you provided for them a simple, nutritious diet, free from grease and spices? Have you not been influenced by fashion, in clothing your children? Leaving their arms and limbs insufficiently protected has been the cause of a vast amount of disease and premature deaths. There is no reason why the feet and limbs of your girls should not be in every way as warmly clad as those of your boys. Boys, accustomed to exercise out of doors, become inured to cold and exposure, and are actually less liable to colds when thinly clad than are the girls, because the open air seems to be their natural element. Delicate girls accustom themselves to live indoors, in a heated atmosphere, and yet they go from the heated room out of doors with their limbs and feet seldom better protected from the cold than while remaining in a warm room. The air soon chills their limbs and feet, and prepares the way for disease.

Your girls should wear the waists of their dresses perfectly loose, and should have a style of dress convenient, comfortable, and modest. In cold weather they should wear warm flannel or cotton drawers, which can be placed inside the stockings. Over these should be warm lined pants, which may be full, gathered into a band and buttoned around the ankle, or they may taper at the bottom and meet the shoe. The dress should reach below the knee. With this style of dress, one light skirt, or at most two, is all that is necessary, and should be buttoned to a waist. The shoes should be thick-soled, and perfectly comfortable. With this style of dress, your girls will be no more in danger in the open air than are your boys. And their health would be much better were they to live more out of doors, even in winter, than to be confined to the warm air of a room heated by a stove.

It is a sin in the sight of heaven for parents to dress their children as they do. The only excuse that they can make is that it is fashion. They can not plead modesty in thus exposing the limbs of their children, with only one covering drawn tight over them. They can not plead that it is healthful, or really attractive. Because others will continue to follow this health-and life-destroying practice, is no excuse for those who style themselves reformers. Because everybody around you follows a fashion that is injurious to health, it will not make your sin a whit the less, nor be any guaranty for the health and life of your children. Mrs. E. G. White.

The plan of redemption was formed to bring unity and peace to men. The world was at war with the law of Jehovah; sinners were at enmity with their Maker; Jesus came to make overtures of peace. At the appointed time angels were commissioned to announce his birth, and give expression to their joy in the salvation of the one lost sheep, the fallen world. To the watching shepherds the message came, "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you: Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, good will toward men."

Shortly before his crucifixion, Christ bequeathed to his disciples a legacy of peace. "Peace I leave with you," he said; "my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." This peace is not the peace that comes through conformity with the world. It is an internal rather than an external peace. Without will be wars and fightings, through the opposition of avowed enemies, and the coldness and suspicion of those who claim to be friends. The peace of Christ is not to banish division, but it is to remain amid strife and division.

Though he bore the title of Prince of Peace, Christ said of himself, "Think not that I am come to send a peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword." By these words he did not mean that his coming was to produce discord and contention among his followers. He desired to show the effect his teaching would have on different minds. One portion of the human family would receive him; the other portion would take sides with Satan, and would oppose Christ and all his followers. The Prince of Peace, he was yet the cause of division. He who came to proclaim glad tidings and create hope and joy in the hearts of the children of men, opened a controversy that burns deep, and arouses intense passion in the human heart. And he warned his followers: "In the world ye shall have tribulation." "They shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons, being brought before kings and rulers for my name's sake. . . . Ye shall be betrayed both by parents and brethren, and kinsfolks, and friends; and some of you shall they cause to be put to death."

This prophecy has been fulfilled in a marked manner. Every indignity, reproach, and cruelty that Satan can instigate human hearts to devise, has been visited upon the followers of Jesus. And it will be fulfilled in a yet more marked manner; for the carnal mind is still at enmity with the law of God, and will not be subject to its commands. We have been highly favored in living under a government where we can worship God according to the dictates of our conscience. But human nature is no more in harmony with the principles of Christ today than it has been in ages past. The world is still in opposition to Jesus. The same hatred that prompted the cry, "Crucify him, crucify him," still works in the children of disobedience. The same satanic spirit that in the Dark Ages consigned men and women to prison, to exile, and to the stake, that conceived the exquisite torture of the Inquisition, produced the massacre of St. Bartholomew, and kindled the fires of Smithfield, is still at work with malignant energy in unregenerate hearts.

We are required to be Christlike toward those who are our enemies; but we must not, in order to have peace, cover up the faults of those we see in error. The world's Redeemer never purchased peace by covering iniquity, or by anything like compromise. Though his heart was constantly overflowing with love for the human race, he was never indulgent to their sins. He was the friend of sinners, and he would not remain silent while they were pursuing a course that would ruin their souls,--the souls that he had purchased with his own blood. He was a stern reprover of all vice. He labored that man should be true to himself in being all that God would have him, and true to his higher and eternal interest. Living in a world marred and seared with the curse brought upon it by disobedience, he could not be at peace with it if he left unwarned, uninstructed, unrebuked. This would be to purchase peace at the neglect of duty. His peace was the consciousness of having done the will of his Father, rather than a condition of things that existed as the result of not having done his duty.

Those who love Jesus and the souls for whom he had died will follow after the things which make for peace. But they must take care lest in their efforts to prevent discord, they surrender truth; lest in warding off division, they sacrifice principle. True brotherhood can never be maintained by compromising principle. As Christians approach the Christlike model, and become pure in spirit and action, they will feel the venom of the serpent. The opposition of the children of disobedience is excited by a Christianity that is spiritual. At this crisis is the time to decide who are God's faithful servants, who will be true to principle, who will bear in mind that truth is too dearly purchased for its least principle to be surrendered. That peace and harmony which are secured by mutual concessions to avoid all differences of opinion are not worthy of the name. On points of feeling between man and man, concessions should sometimes be made; but never should one iota of principle be sacrificed to obtain harmony. All our words and actions pass in review before God; and if we wish to stand in the Judgment as having done all that we could do to exert a correct influence over our fellow men, we must return kind acts for acts of mischief and malice. Christ is our pattern; we must follow him.

The apostle Paul exhorts us, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Care should be taken by Christians to give no offense, that the truth may not be evil spoken of. But the text suggests that no amount of diligence and care will preserve this harmony in all cases. Dissensions will arise even between church members, because they are not Christlike in character. In the home they are oppressive and a reproach to the cause of Christ. Their practices are inconsistent with truth and religion, and to retain them in church fellowship would be unfaithfulness to the Master. The church as a body is to do all in its power to promote union and prevent schisms. If unsound doctrine is introduced, the safety of the flock of Christ will be endangered; and it is the duty of those in authority, who are jealous for the truth as it is in Jesus, to make a firm, decided protest.

To those who have been injured without cause these words of Scripture apply, "If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men." Their failure to live at peace with all men is not due to the course they themselves have pursued, but to the envy, jealousy, and evil surmising of those who have been in the wrong. A division is caused. How shall it be healed? Shall the man that has been sinned against, misjudged, and maligned, be called to give an account? Shall he seek for something in his past course by which he can humiliate himself? Shall he acknowledge himself in the wrong for the sake of making peace?--No. If he has tried to do his duty, and has been patient under abuse, he is not to humble himself to acknowledge that he is guilty. He does the offenders great wrong thus to take the guilt upon his soul, admitting that he has given them occasion for their course of action. This is very pleasing to those who have done the work of the enemy; but heaven's books record the facts just as they are. Concessions that are not true from the one who has been wrongfully treated gratify the feelings of the carnal heart. The wrongdoers interpret their position as zeal for God, when in truth it is zeal to do the work of the adversary of souls. They do not dig out of their hearts the root of bitterness, but leave the fibers to spring up when Satan shall stir them again to active growth.

There is a work for us to do. We must begin here to cultivate the meekness of Christ. There are stern battles for us to fight against our traits of character that leads us to decisions that make it hard and unfavorable for others. We are not commended by God for a zeal that savors of pharisaism; for this is not of Christ. We are not to go to an extreme in false charity, neither are we to follow a course of unbending severity in cases where kindness and mercy and love would have a telling power. The ax must be laid at the root of the tree. True conversion is needed. Heart work is essential. The nature must be renewed after the divine image, until the work of grace is completed in the soul. Mrs. E. G. White.

God sent his Son into the world to save men, although, because of their sins, they did not deserve such a revelation of love. How did the world treat the One who was "altogether lovely," and "the chiefest among ten thousand"? We read of him at his trial, "The men that held Jesus mocked him, and smote him. And when they had blindfolded him, they struck him on the face, and asked him, saying, Prophesy, who is it that smote thee? And many other things blasphemously spake they against him." Prophecy, inspired by Christ himself, had declared the treatment he would receive at the hands of men.

On one occasion Paul was smitten on the mouth. He was indignant at the insult, and said, to the cruel actor, "Sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?" Paul had not then become as meek and lowly as his Master. In spite of the cruel treatment Christ received, he declared, "I came not to judge the world, but to save the world;" not to crush, but to heal; not to judge, but to save and uplift, to ennoble and bless.

Pilate was not left to grope his way in darkness. Not only was he convinced by the testimony and evidence of the witnesses that the charges brought against Christ were false, but an angel of God communicated light to his wife; and, before the terrible deed was done, she gave this light to Pilate. "When he was set down in the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with this just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him." But Pilate was too weak to obey the light.

The Prince of Life, bearing the seal of heaven, was placed before the people, with Barabbas by his side. The contrast between light and darkness, sin and righteousness, truth and falsehood, could be seen by all. Pilate then asked the people, "Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?" With satanic madness the people answered, "Not this man, but Barabbas." They refused to receive the Lord of glory, choosing Barabbas, a robber and murderer, in his stead. By this they showed that they preferred the society of a murderer to that of the One who was sinless, full of goodness, mercy, and truth. Satan was working through the religious element, and bigotry and prejudice prevailed.

"When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it." Did this farce make Pilate guiltless? O Pilate, if you could have washed from your convicted conscience the terrible guilt that will ever oppress your soul because of this cowardly deed, your after-history would not have been laid in such dark colors. When you knew that it was for envy that Jesus was delivered, why did you refuse to listen to the warning from the Lord? Do you think that the act of washing your hands will cleanse you from the sin of condemning a man when your own reason tells you that he was delivered into your power because of envy? You declared him innocent, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person," and yet you delivered him up to his murderers.

Writing of this, John says, "Pilate saith to them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him. The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God. When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid; and went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? Knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?"

"I have power." By saying this, Pilate showed that he made himself responsible for the condemnation of Christ, for the cruel scourging, and for the insults offered him before any wrong was proved against him. Pilate had been chosen and appointed to administer justice, but he dared not do it. Had he exercised the power that he claimed, and that his position gave him, had he protected Christ, he would not have been accountable for his death. Christ would have been crucified, but Pilate would not have been held guilty.

Listen to the response made when Pilate said to the people, "I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it:" "Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children. Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified." He had pronounced him innocent, but still he delivered him up to the most ignominious and cruel death that a man can suffer.

The four evangelists,--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,--all bear record that Jew and Gentile, priest and people, rulers, kings, and governors, all classes and tongues, were represented in rejecting Christ, a man who was innocent, and against whom no proof could be found. He came to this world to live God's law in human nature. He came to testify to the world's unfallen, to seraphim and cherubim, to angels and to men, that Satan's rebellion against God and his law was without foundation or excuse, that in his law God had revealed his character. This character Christ represented by living that law, thus vindicating it, and showing its immutability. This Satan could not tolerate. He could not bear to lose all that he had attempted in heaven, and in attempting which he had lost heaven. He and his evil angels united in a desperate companionship with disloyal and evil men. They resolved to use the whole power of their corrupt energies in putting out of the world the light of truth.

The unfallen worlds and the heavenly universe looked with amazement at the hatred felt and acted toward the only begotten Son of God. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." But he who was sent into the world by the Father on an embassage of mercy, bringing a message of love, was not received. Notwithstanding the priceless gift he brought, he was scorned as a deceiver, hunted down as a malefactor, and betrayed and crucified as the worst of criminals. Thus human nature will do when controlled by satanic agencies.

Here we have a picture held up before us. The Light of the world, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, without one charge proved against him, without being convicted of a single crime, was given up by the ruler of the people to a shameful death. But who was responsible? In the day of God, before the assembled universe, who will suffer punishment for this act?--Those who claimed to be the most pious people on the earth. Who crucified Christ?-- "Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and consulted that they might take Jesus by subtlety, and kill him. But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar among the people." The people would not then have permitted harm to come to Jesus; therefore the priests must do their work in secrecy.

The religious leaders, the guides and instructors of the people, the men who ought to have pointed the people to Jesus, saying , as did John, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world," followed the lead of the enemy of all good. They persuaded the poor ignorant people, who knew not the Scriptures, which testify of Christ, to reject the Son of God, and led them to choose a robber and murderer. "The chief priests and elders persuaded the people that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus." Why did they do this?--Because of envy and jealousy. Prejudice is ever blind, unreasonable, vindictive, and cruel. Under its maddening power people are rendered insane. "Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous; but who is able to stand before envy?" Mrs. E. G. White.

My sisters, there is need of a dress reform among us. There are many errors in the present style of female dress. It is injurious to health, and, therefore, a sin for females to wear tight corsets, or whalebones, or to compress the waist. Compressing the waist has a depressing influence upon the heart, liver, and lungs. The health of the entire system depends upon the healthy action of the respiratory organs. Thousands of females have ruined their constitutions, and brought upon themselves various diseases, in their efforts to make a healthy and natural form unhealthy and unnatural. They are dissatisfied with nature's arrangements; and in their earnest efforts to correct nature, and bring her to their ideas of gentility, they break down her work, and leave her a mere wreck.

It would be pleasing to God if there were greater uniformity in the dress among believers. The style of dress formerly adopted by the Friends is the least objectionable. Many of them have backslidden; and although they may preserve the uniformity of color, yet they have indulged in pride and extravagance, and their dress has been of the most expensive material. Still their selection of plain colors, and the modest and neat arrangement of their clothing, are worthy of imitation by Christians.

The children of Israel, after they were brought out of Egypt, were commanded to have a simple ribbon of blue in the border of their garments, to distinguish them from the nations around them, and to signify that they were God's peculiar people. The people of God are not now required to have a special mark placed upon their garments. But in the New Testament we are often referred to ancient Israel as examples. If God gave such definite directions to his ancient people in regard to their dress, will not the dress of his people in this age come under his notice? Should there not be in their dress a distinction from that of the world? Should not the people of God, who are his peculiar treasure, seek even in their dress to glorify God? And should they not be examples in dress, and by their simple style rebuke the pride, vanity, and extravagance of worldly, pleasure-loving professors?--God requires this of his people. Pride is rebuked in his word.

But there is a class who are continually harping upon pride and dress, who are careless of their own apparel, and who think it a virtue to be dirty, and dress without order and taste; and their clothing often looks as if it flew, and lit upon their persons. Their garments are filthy, and yet such ones will ever be talking against pride. They class decency and neatness with pride. Had they been among that number who gathered around the mount to hear the law spoken from Sinai, they would have been chased from the congregation of Israel, because they had not obeyed the command of God--"And let them wash their clothes,"--preparatory to listening to his law given in awful grandeur.

The ten commandments spoken by Jehovah from Sinai can not live in the hearts of persons of disorderly, filthy habits. If ancient Israel could not so much as listen to the proclamation of that holy law, unless they had obeyed the injunction of Jehovah, and cleansed their clothing, how can that sacred law be written upon the hearts of persons who are not cleanly in person, in clothing, or in their houses?--It is impossible. Their profession may be as high as heaven, yet it is not worth a straw. Their influence disgusts unbelievers. Better if they had ever remained outside the ranks of God's loyal people. The house of God is dishonored by such professors.

All who meet upon the Sabbath to worship God should, if possible, have a neat, well-fitting, comely suit to wear in the house of worship. It is a dishonor to the Sabbath, and to God and his house, for those who profess that the Sabbath is the holy of the Lord, and honorable, to wear the same clothing upon the Sabbath that they have worn through the week while laboring upon their farms, when they can obtain other. If there are worthy persons who, with their whole heart, would honor the Lord of the Sabbath, and the worship of God, and who can not obtain a change of clothing, let those who are able give to such a Sabbath suit, that they may appear in the house of God with cleanly, fitting apparel.

The scene in the judgment hall in Jerusalem is a symbol of what will take place in the closing scenes of this earth's history. The world will accept Christ, the Truth, or they will accept Satan, the first great rebel, a robber, apostate, and murderer. They will either reject the message of mercy in regard to the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus, or they will accept the truth as it is in Jesus. If they accept Satan and his falsehoods, they identify themselves with the chief of all liars, and with all who are disloyal, while they turn from no less a personage than the Son of the infinite God.

God has a controversy with those who accept the fallacies of the great apostate, which are prepared to suit every class in the Christian world, and who discard the law of God, pronounced by Inspiration to be "holy, and just, and good." By the death of Christ the changeless character of this moral standard of righteousness is shown. Christ lived the law of God's government; he was an expression of God's character; and he died to save men from the penalty of the transgression of this law. Those who reject God's law crucify the Son of God afresh. They identify themselves with those who crucified him between two thieves on the cross of Calvary.

The world is asleep. The people know not the time of their visitation. To them the words apply; "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes." All need to be aroused. We can not afford to be rocked to sleep in the cradle of carnal security or indifference; for we are deciding our eternal destiny. The record of the shameful trial in the judgment hall has passed up to heaven, and is the standard by which all are measured, whether they stand under the bloodstained banner of Christ, or under the black banner of the prince of darkness.

There can be only two classes. Each party is distinctly stamped, either with the seal of the living God, or with the mark of the beast or his image. Each son and daughter of Adam chooses either Christ or Barabbas as his general. And all who place themselves on the side of the disloyal are standing under Satan's black banner, and are charged with rejecting and despitefully using Christ. They are charged with deliberately crucifying the Lord of life and glory.

Each one has an important question to answer for himself: Are you on the side of Satan, a transgressor of God's law, or are you loyal to that God who declared himself to be, "The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation." God's character is here displayed as his glory. God has delivered all judgment into the hands of his Son; and as a righteous judge, Christ must pass sentence on every work whether it be good or bad. Justice is as much an expression of love as mercy.

The world is not improving. Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. By rejecting the Son of God, the personification of the only true God, who possessed goodness, mercy, and untiring love, whose heart was ever touched with human woe, and choosing a murderer in his stead, the Jews showed what human nature can and will do when the restraining power of the Spirit of God is removed, and men are under the control of the apostate. Those who choose Satan as their ruler will reveal the spirit of their chosen master.

The world will not improve till God goes out of his place to punish her for her iniquity. Then the earth shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Christ warned his disciples, "Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows. Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

When Christ was upon this earth, the world preferred Barabbas. And today the world and the churches are making the same choice. The scenes of the betrayal, the rejection, and the crucifixion of Christ have been re-enacted, and will again be re-enacted on an immense scale. People will be filled with the attributes of the enemy, and with them his delusions will have great power. Just to that degree that light is refused will there be misconception and misunderstanding. Those who reject Christ and choose Barabbas work under a ruinous deception. Misrepresentation and false witness will grow to open rebellion. The eye being evil, the whole body will be full of darkness. Those who give their affections to any leader but Christ will find themselves under the control, body, soul, and spirit, of an infatuation that is so entrancing that under its power souls turn away from hearing the truth to believe a lie. They are ensnared and taken, and by their every action they cry, Release unto us Barabbas, but crucify Christ.

Even now this decision is being made. The scenes enacted at the cross are being re-enacted. In the churches that have departed from truth and righteousness it is being revealed what human nature can do and will do when the love of God is not an abiding principle in the soul. We need not be surprised at anything that may take place now. We need not marvel at any developments of horror. Those who trample under their unholy feet the law of God have the same spirit as had the men who insulted and betrayed Jesus. Without any compunction of conscience, they will do the deeds of their father, the devil. They will ask the question that came from the traitorous lips of Judas, What will you give me if I betray unto you Jesus the Christ? Even now Christ is being betrayed in the person of his saints.

When the world is at last brought up for trial before the great white throne, to account for its rejection of Jesus Christ, God's own messenger to our world, what a solemn scene it will be! What a reckoning will have to be made for nailing to the cross One who came to our world as a living epistle of the law. God will ask each one the question, What have you done with my only begotten Son? What will those answer who have refused to accept the truth?-- They will be obliged to say, We hated Jesus, and cast him out. We cried, Crucify him, crucify him. We chose Barabbas in his stead. If those to whom the light of heaven is presented reject it, they reject Christ. They reject the only provision whereby they may be cleansed from pollution. They crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. To them it will be said, "I never knew you: depart from me." God will assuredly avenge the death of his Son. Mrs. E. G. White.

Some receive the idea that in order to carry out that separation from the world that the word of God requires, they must be neglectful of their apparel. There is a class of sisters who think they are carrying out the principle of non-conformity to the world by wearing an ordinary sunbonnet, and the same dress worn by them through the week, upon the Sabbath, when appearing in the assembly of the saints to engage in the worship of God. And some men who profess to be Christians view the matter of dress in the same light. These persons assemble with God's people upon the Sabbath, with their clothing dusty and soiled, and even with gaping rents in their garments, which are placed upon their persons in a slovenly manner. This class, if they had an engagement to meet a friend honored by the world, by whom they wished to be especially favored, would exert themselves to appear in his presence with the best apparel that could be obtained; for this friend would feel insulted were they to come into his presence with their hair uncombed, and garments uncleanly and in disorder. Yet these persons think that it is no matter in what dress they appear, or what is the condition of their persons, when they meet upon the Sabbath to worship the great God. They assemble in his house, which is as the audience chamber of the Most High, where heavenly angels are in attendance, with but little respect, or reverence, as their persons and clothing indicate. Their whole appearance typifies the character of such men and women.

The favorite theme of this class is pride of dress. Decency, taste, and order they regard as pride. And according to the dress of these mistaken souls will be their conversation, their acts, and their deal. They are careless, and often low in their conversation at their homes, among their brethren, and before the world. The dress and its arrangement upon the person is generally found to be the index of the man or the woman. Those who are careless and untidy in dress are seldom elevated in their conversation, and possess but little refinement of feeling. They sometimes consider oddity and coarseness humility.

The followers of Christ are represented by him as the salt of the earth and the light of the world. Without the saving influence of Christians, the world would perish in its own corruption. Look upon the class of professed Christians described, who are careless in their dress and person; loose in their business transactions, as their dress represents; coarse, uncourteous, and rough in their manners; low in their conversation; at the same time regarding these miserable traits as marks of true humility and Christian life. Think you that if our Saviour were upon earth, he would point to them as being the salt of the earth and the light of the world?--No, never!

Christians are elevated in their conversation; and although they believe it to be sin to condescend to foolish flattery, they are courteous, kind, and benevolent. Their words are those of sincerity and truth. They are faithful in their deal with their brethren and with the world. In their dress they avoid superfluity and display; but their clothing will be neat, not gaudy, modest, and arranged upon the person with order and taste. Especial care will be taken to dress in a manner that will show a sacred regard for the holy Sabbath and the worship of God. The line of demarkation between such a class and the world will be too plain to be mistaken. The influence of believers would be tenfold greater if men and women who accept the truth, who have been formerly careless and slack in their habits, would be so elevated and sanctified through the truth as to observe habits of neatness, order, and good taste in their dress. Our God is a God of order, and he is not in any degree pleased with distraction, with filthiness, or with sin.

Christians should not take pains to make themselves gazingstocks by dressing different from the world. But if, in accordance with their faith and duty in respect to their dressing modestly and healthfully, they find themselves out of fashion, they should not change their dress in order to be like the world. But they should manifest a noble independence, and moral courage to be right, if all the world differs from them. If the world introduces a modest, convenient, and healthful mode of dress, which is in accordance with the Bible, it will not change our relation to God or to the world to adopt such a style of dress. Christians should follow Christ, and conform their dress to God's word. They should shun extremes. They should humbly pursue a straightforward course, irrespective of applause or of censure, and should cling to the right because of its own merits. Mrs. E. G. White.

In the past the Lord God of ages revealed his secrets to his prophets. The Omniscient looked down the centuries, and predicted through his prophets the rise and fall of kingdoms, hundreds of years before the events foretold took place. The present and the future are equally clear to God, and he shows his servants what shall be. His voice echoes down the ages, telling man what is to take place. Kings and princes take their position at the appointed time. They think they are carrying out their own purposes, but in reality they are fulfilling the word God has given through his prophets. They act their part in carrying out God's great plan. Events fall into line, fulfilling the word the Almighty has spoken.

The unbelieving and godless do not discern the signs of the time. In ignorance they may refuse to accept the inspired record. But when professed Christians speak sneeringly of the means employed by the great I AM to make his purposes known, they show themselves to be ignorant both of the Scriptures and of the power of God. The Creator knows just what elements he has to deal with in human nature. He knows what means to employ to obtain the desired end. The Christian who accepts the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, will look at Bible history in its true bearing. The history of the Jewish economy from beginning to end, though spoken of contemptuously and sneered at as "the dark ages," will reveal light, and still more light, as it is studied.

Man's word fails; and he who takes the assertions of man as his dependence may well tremble; for he will one day be a shipwrecked vessel. But God's word is infallible, and endures forever. Christ declares, "Verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." God's word will endure through the ceaseless ages of eternity. God lives and reigns. His glory is not confined to the temple made with hands. He has not closed heaven against his people. As in the past, so in this age, God reveals his secrets to his servants the prophets.

The result of making void the law of God may be seen in the increasing immorality of these several kingdoms. If the inhabitants had kept the fear of God ever before them, they would have been given wisdom and power, which would have bound them together, and kept them strong. But the rulers of these kingdoms made God their strength only when harassed and perplexed. Failing to get help from their great men, they sought it from men like Daniel, who they knew honored the living God, and were honored by him. To these men they appeal to unravel the mysteries of providence; for they had so far separated themselves from God by transgression that they could not understand his warning. They were forced to appeal for explanation to those illuminated by heavenly light.

When the empire of Babylon was so strong and its influence so far-reaching that seemingly the most powerful foe could not take its scepter, Daniel, a man inspired by God, prophesied that it would pass away, notwithstanding its apparent magnificence, and that a second would succeed it. He prophesied also that the second empire would be succeeded by the third, and that a fourth empire should arise, more fierce, more determined, and more powerful than any kingdom that had preceded it. As strong as iron, this kingdom would subdue and break in pieces all the nations of the world.

In spite of the warning he received, Nebuchadnezzar went on in his own strength, till God took from him the talent of wisdom, that he might be led to see and acknowledge that the God of Israel was able to create and to destroy. The kings who succeeded him failed to profit by his experience, and the kingdom of Babylon passed away because, in their prosperity, her rulers forgot God, and ascribed her honor and glory to human achievement. So today, when men forget God and refuse to obey his law, they are humiliated. God tests them, and if they do not humble their hearts and confess their sins, they receive the penalty of transgression.

The Medo-Persian kingdom was visited by the wrath of God because in it his law was trampled underfoot. The fear of God possessed no power among the people. Wickedness, blasphemy, and corruption were the prevailing influences in this kingdom; and the kingdoms that followed were even more base and corrupt. They deteriorated because they cast off God. Forgetting him, they sank lower and lower in the scale. The vast empire of Rome crumbled into pieces. The church of Rome boasts of her infallibility, and of the power of her hereditary religion. But this religion is a horror to all who are acquainted with the secrets of the mystery of iniquity. The priests of this church maintain their ascendency by keeping the people in ignorance of the will of God.

While representing the kingdoms of this earth, the image that was revealed to Nebuchadnezzar also fitly represented deterioration of religion. We grow weak morally and spiritually, just in proportion as we forget God. Those who claim to be Protestants are not today what Luther was. They have left the old landmarks, and have depended on forms, ceremonies, and outward display to make up for the lack of purity and piety, meekness and lowliness, found in obedience to God. Sin is ruining nations today just as it has done in time past. Even leaders in the religious world have not a good conscience toward God.

Men need an intelligent knowledge of God's law. There is no true standard of righteousness apart from this law. By obedience to it the intellect is cultivated, the conscience enlightened and made sensitive. Righteousness exalts a nation. The words of the Bible, and the Bible alone, should be echoed from the pulpits of our land. This book is God's great director. It is a lamp to our feet, a light to our path. It flashes its light ahead, that we may see the path by which we are traveling; and its rays are thrown back on past history, showing the most perfect harmony in that which, to the mind in darkness, appears like error and discord. In that which seems to the worldling an inexplicable mystery, God's children see light and beauty.

God speaks in his word, and fulfills this word in the world. We need now to seek to understand the movements of God's providence. Said Paul, "Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night nor of darkness." God's people are not left to depend on man's wisdom. With prophetic guideposts God has marked out the way he wishes them to take. These great waymarks show us that the path of obedience is the only path we can follow with certainty. Men break their word, and prove themselves untrustworthy, but God changes not. His word will abide the same forever. Those who love and obey the law of Jehovah will meet with trial and temptation; but these are only what Jesus met, and he declares: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." If we hope and pray, and by faith trust his word, we shall be able to say, with Paul, "I am persuaded, that neither death nor life nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

The Israelites placed over their doors a signature of blood, to show that they were God's property. So the children of God in this age will bear the signature God has appointed. They will place themselves in harmony with God's holy law. A mark is placed upon every one of God's people just as verily as a mark was placed over the doors of the Hebrew dwellings, to preserve the people from the general ruin. God declares, "I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." When men say that the law of God is abrogated by the testimony of the Fathers, they are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. Their word is not founded upon the teaching of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ is not the chief cornerstone of their structure. John says, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." Those who permit themselves to be deceived will, with the deceiver, feel the wrath of the Lamb.

With God's word before us, with the lesson of instruction we may there learn, there is no need for us to be deceived. We are living in a momentous period of this earth's history. The great conflict is just before us. We see the world corrupted under the inhabitants thereof. The man of sin has worked with a marvelous perseverance to exalt the spurious sabbath, and the disloyal Protestant world has wondered after the beast, and has called obedience to the Sabbath instituted by Jehovah disloyalty to the laws of the nations. Kingdoms have confederated to sustain a false sabbath institution, which has not a word of authority in the oracles of God.

In the record of the vision given to John we read, "The dragon was wroth with the woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Satanic agencies have made the earth a stage for horrors, which no language can describe. War and bloodshed are carried on by nations claiming to be Christian. A disregard for the law of God has brought its sure result.

The great conflict now being waged is not merely a strife of man against man. On one side stands the Prince of Life, acting as man's substitute and surety; on the other, the prince of darkness, with the fallen angels under his command. "We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." "Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."

There will be a sharp conflict between those who are loyal to God and those who cast scorn upon his law. The church has joined hands with the world. Reverence to God's law has been subverted. The religious leaders are teaching for doctrine the commandments of men. As it was in the days of Noah, so it is in this age of the world. But shall the prevalence of disloyalty and transgression cause those who have reverenced the law of God to have less respect for it, to unite with the powers of earth to make it void?--The truly loyal will not be carried away by the current of evil. They will not throw scorn and contempt on that which God has set apart as holy. The test comes to every one. There are only two sides. On which side are you? Mrs. E. G. White.

There is still another style of dress that will be adopted by a class of so-called dress reformers. They will imitate the opposite sex as nearly as possible. They will wear the cap, pants, vest, coat, and boots, the last of which is the most sensible part of the costume. Those who adopt and advocate this style of dress, are carrying the so-called dress reform to very objectionable lengths. Confusion will be the result. Some who adopt this costume may be correct in their views in general upon the health question, but they could be instrumental in accomplishing vastly more good if they did not carry the matter of dress to such extremes.

In this style of dress God's order has been reversed, and his special direction disregarded. "The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment; for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God." Deut. 22:5. This style of dress God would not have his people adopt. It is not modest apparel, and is not at all fitting for modest, humble females who profess to be Christ's followers. God's prohibitions are lightly regarded by all who would advocate the doing away of the distinction of dress between males and females. The extreme positions taken by some dress reformers upon this subject cripple their influence.

God designed there should be a plain distinction between male and female dress, and has considered the matter of sufficient importance to give explicit directions in regard to it; for the same dress worn by both sexes would cause confusion, and great increase of crime. The apostle Paul would utter a rebuke, were he alive, should he behold females professing godliness with this style of dress. "In like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works." The mass of professed Christians utterly disregard the teachings of the apostles, and wear gold, pearls, and costly array.

God's loyal people are the light of the world and the salt of the earth; and they should ever remember that their influence is of value. Were they to exchange the extreme long, for the extreme short, dress, they would, to a great extent, destroy their influence. Unbelievers, whom it is their duty to benefit, and seek to bring to the Lamb of God, would be disgusted. Many improvements can be made in the dress of women in reference to health, without making so great a change as to disgust the beholder.

The female form should not be compressed in the least with corsets and whalebones. The dress should be perfectly easy, that the lungs and heart may have healthy action. The dress should reach somewhat below the top of the boot, but should be short enough to clear the filth of the sidewalk and street, without being raised by the hand. A still shorter dress than this would be proper, convenient, and healthful for women when doing their housework, and especially for those women who are obliged to perform more or less outdoor labor. With this style of dress, one light skirt, or at most two, is all that is necessary, and that should be buttoned to a waist, or suspended with straps. The hips were not formed to bear heavy weights. The heavy skirts worn by females, their weight dragging down upon the hips, have been the cause of various diseases, which are not easily cured, because the sufferers seem to be ignorant of the cause that produced them, and continue to violate the laws of their being by girding the waist and wearing heavy skirts, until they are made lifelong invalids.

Many will immediately exclaim, "Why, such a style of dress will be old-fashioned!" What if it is? I wish we could be old-fashioned in many respects. If we could have the old-fashioned strength that characterized the old-fashioned women of past generations, it would be very desirable. I do not speak unadvisedly when I say that the way in which women clothe themselves, together with their indulgence of appetite, is the greatest cause of their present feeble, diseased condition. There is but one woman in a thousand who clothes her limbs as she should. Whatever may be the length of the dress, women should clothe their limbs as thoroughly as do men. If the limbs and feet are kept comfortable with warm clothing, the circulation will be equalized, and the blood will remain healthy and pure, because it is not chilled nor hindered in its natural passage through the system. Mrs. E. G. White.

As priests and rulers looked upon the face of Christ, terror took possession of them; for divinity was flashing through humanity. This was evidence that they had not looked for. They understood the meaning of his words, and, amazed and terrified, they fled from the humble, travel-stained Nazarene, as if he had been surrounded by an avenging army of heavenly beings. But as they hurried away from the sacred precincts, they found that they had received no bodily harm, and their terror-stricken souls began to recover. They said, We will return to the temple, and demand by what authority he is doing this work. But when they saw the work that Jesus had been doing since their expulsion, they did not confront him with the assurance that they thought they would. They found the Saviour healing the sick and the dying. "The blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them." On their ears fell the sound of rejoicing and the song of praise. In the very temple itself, children who had been restored to health were waving palm branches, and singing hosannas to the Son of David. Baby voices were lisping the praises of the mighty Healer. The people were rejoicing; for those among them who had been sick and dying were now restored to perfect health. But the lowing of the cattle and the bleating of the sheep were as music in the ears of the priests when compared with these sounds of rejoicing. Cattle sales meant money to them. But the gladness and joy of the people who had been restored gave them no satisfaction.

The scene at the temple was indelibly impressed upon the minds of the people who had come to attend the feast. What greater evidence than this could Christ give? If this could find no entrance into the hearts of these resisters of light; if such a scene as this did not bring conviction; if this light was not sufficient to drive away their prejudice and jealousy, what evidence could Christ give to pierce their rock-bound hearts?--Nothing that he could say or do would move their stubborn wills.

The night before his work of cleansing the temple courts and healing the sick, Christ had spent in prayer in the mount of Olives. "In the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered. And when he saw a fig tree in the way, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only, and said unto it, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward forever. And presently the fig tree withered away." The next morning, on his way again to Jerusalem, he passed the withered fig tree. "And when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, How soon is the fig tree withered away. Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done."

The fig tree was covered with promising, pretentious leaves, but was entirely destitute of fruit. It represented impenitent Israel, who had failed to do the work of God's appointment. And not only does this lesson apply to the Jews, but in its terrible significance it reaches to every age, warning each soul of the sure result of profession without practice. Let professing Christians inquire into the meaning of the curse pronounced upon the fig tree. The tree was full of promise, but investigation revealed its barrenness. It bore no fruit; and because of this defect, words were spoken that caused it almost immediately to wither away.

A fig tree is created to bear fruit; and if it does not do this, it is not fit for a place in the orchard. It is treated as a cumberer of the ground. So the Lord created men and women to bear fruit to his glory and for the good of their fellow creatures, and he has provided them with every facility necessary to enable them to do this. By creation and by redemption we are God's. Christ came as our substitute and surety, that we might bear fruit for him. A probation has been granted us that we might not be like the fig tree, full of flourishing leaves, making great pretensions of success, yet destitute of good works.

After this Christ again entered the temple; and as he was teaching, the chief priests and elders of the people came to him with the question, "By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?" They had been given unmistakable evidence of Christ's power. Amazed and terrified, they had fled from his presence, returning to find him healing the sick and the suffering, who were rejoicing, not only in the courts, but in the temple itself. And yet after passing through this wonderful experience, the Jewish rulers could ask Christ, "By what authority doest thou these things?"

In his wonderful deeds of healing, Christ had answered the question of the priests and elders. He had given them evidence of his authority, which could not be controverted. But it was not evidence that they wished. They were anxious that he should proclaim himself as possessing divine authority, that they might misapply his words, and stir up the people against him. They wished to destroy his influence and put him to death. Christ knew that if this people could not recognize God in him, they would not believe his assurance that he was the Christ. They had seen the sick healed, and the dead raised to life. They had witnessed the resurrection of Lazarus after he had been in the grave four days. The moral supremacy of Christ was revealed in all his words, in every work of love and power, but they recognized it not. They thought to take him by guile, and cause him to speak something that they could use to his condemnation. But Christ not only evades the issue they hope to bring about, but turns the condemnation upon them. In the purity and self-denial of John's life, they had felt the power of God. Conviction had been sent to every soul. If they would not heed John's warning, they would not heed the words of Christ.

John had preached the coming of the Messiah. In trumpet tones the words of the forerunner of Christ had rung in their ears: "There shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears; but with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins." "He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him. For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head; and he put on the garments of vengeance for clothing, and was clad with zeal as a cloak. According to their deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompense to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompense. So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord."

John came bearing witness of the One whose divinity they were now questioning. Christ himself had gone to the Jordan, not to repent of sin, but to fulfill every specification required of the sinner. The Baptist saw the Saviour walking at a distance, and his face lighted up. "Behold the Lamb of God," he cried, "which taketh away the sin of the world." There Christ stood revealed before the people. The glory of God descended upon him in the form of a dove like burnished gold, and the voice of the infinite One declared, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."

Christ reminded the priests and Pharisees of this recognition by God of John's message and work. If you believe John to be a prophet, he said, why do you not believe my testimony? He told you plainly who I am. You have refused to do the work God appointed you in revealing Christ to an apostate world. You refuse to believe in the Son of God. You now ask me for my authority for cleansing the temple courts, which you have defiled. You profess to be anxious to know God's will, but you reject the evidence given in such abundance.

If the rejecters of light in Christ's day had opened their hearts to the appeals of the Spirit of God, they would have sympathized with the purpose and work of Christ. They would have seen in him the antitype of all their sacrificial offerings. They would have been saved from the terrible doom pronounced upon them by the One who gave his life that they might live. Israel would have had a God to deliver them from the bondage of the Roman yoke,--a God who would have done more for them than a loving father could do for his child. Christ wept over the obdurate city, saying, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."

We have before us the example of the Jewish nation, who jealously cherished their self-righteousness. They had not that faith which works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement. Let those who hear the message God sends today beware lest they follow the example of the self-exalted Jews. God does not propose to remove from our path everything that will create question in regard to the work of his servants. He gives ground for faith sufficient to convince the candid, sincere mind; but more evidence than this would never change the inward determination to resist light. Mrs. E. G. White.

By these two sons Christ represented the obedient and the disobedient. The son who refused to obey the command, saying, "I will not," represented those who were living in open transgression, who made no profession of piety, and who openly refused to come under the yoke of service to God. But many of these afterward repented and went. When the gospel came to them in the message of John the Baptist, "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," they repented and confessed their sins.

In the son who said, "I go, sir," and went not, the character of the Pharisees was revealed. Like this son, the Jewish leaders were impenitent and self-sufficient. The religious life of the Jewish nation had become a pretense. When the law was proclaimed on Mt. Sinai, God spoke with a voice of divine authority, and all the people pledged themselves to obey. They said, I go, sir; but they went not. Christ had given the Jewish leaders of his day abundant evidence of his authority and divine power; but although they were convinced, they would not receive the evidence. He had shown them that they continued to disbelieve, because they had not the spirit that leads to obedience. He had declared, Ye make void the law of God by your traditions. In vain do ye worship me, teaching for doctrine the commandments of men.

In the company before Christ there were scribes and Pharisees, priests and rulers, and Christ addressed the question to them, "Whether of them twain did the will of his father?" Forgetting themselves, the Pharisees answered, "The first." This answer was correct, but they gave it without realizing that they were pronouncing sentence against themselves. Then there fell from Christ's lips the denunciation, "Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him."

John came teaching the truth, and by his teaching, sinners were convicted and converted. These would go into the kingdom of heaven before the ones who, in self-righteousness, resisted the warning that abandoned sinners received. The publicans and harlots were ignorant, but these learned men, though they knew the way of truth, refused to walk in the path that leads to the paradise of God. The truth, which should have been to them a savor of life unto life, became a savor of death unto death. Open sinners who loathed themselves could receive baptism at the hand of John; but these men were hypocrites. Their own hearts were the obstacle to their receiving the truth. They resisted the conviction of the Spirit of God; they refused obedience to the commandments of God.

The priests and elders of Israel spent their life in outward ceremonies, and they regarded these services as too sacred to be united with secular business. Therefore their life was supposed to be wholly religious. But they performed their ceremonies to be seen by men, that they might be thought pious and devoted by the world. While professing to obey, they refused to render to God the obedience he required. They were not doers of the word that they professed to teach to others.

In vision the Lord revealed to his servant Isaiah the true condition of Israel: "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken: I have nourished and brought up children, and they have rebelled against me. The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more: the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores: they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment."

"Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I can not away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood."

The work of John the Baptist was foretold by the angel who visited Zacharias in the temple. "Fear not, Zacharias," he said; "for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord."

Christ declared John to be one of the greatest of the prophets, and he showed his hearers that they had had sufficient evidence that John was a messenger from God. The words of the preacher in the wilderness were with power. He bore his message unflinchingly, rebuking the sins of the priests and Pharisees, and enjoining upon them the works of the kingdom of heaven. He pointed out to them their sinful disregard of their Father's authority, in refusing to do the work incumbent upon them. He made no compromise with sin, and many were turned from their unrighteousness.

But the Pharisees and rulers believed not. When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them, "O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: and think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the ax is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: 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: whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

Christ said to the unbelieving ones, "John came to you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him." This unbelief is not an impulse. You criticised John because of his strict, abstemious life and self-sacrificing habits. You find fault with me because I sit at the table with publicans and sinners. The Lord set his seal to the mission of John when publicans and sinners believed him. But you cherished unbelief. You did not repent. "I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." You claim to be righteous. Why do you then object to my calling publicans and sinners to partake of the waters of life? The very ones whom you despise are receiving the message, and pressing into the kingdom of heaven before you.

Christ explained why it was that the son who at first refused to comply with the request, afterward repented. The Spirit of God was working in the dishonest hearts, and, under the sharp, clear-cut testimony of John, many sinners were brought to repentance. Publicans and harlots heard and accepted the invitation. When Christ appeared in the garb of humanity, these souls, who were not under the jurisdiction of priests and rulers, heard his word and were converted, and believed and acknowledged him.

This work was foretold by the prophet Isaiah: "Behold," God declared, "I will proceed to do a marvelous work among this people, even a marvelous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid. . . . Is it not yet a very little while, and Lebanon shall be turned into a fruitful field, and the fruitful field shall be esteemed a forest? And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel. For the terrible one is brought to naught, and the scorner is consumed, and all that watch for iniquity are cut off: that make a man an offender for a word, and lay a snare for him that reproveth in the gate, and turn aside the just for a thing of naught. Therefore thus saith the Lord, who redeemed Abraham, concerning the house of Jacob, Jacob shall not now be ashamed, neither shall his face now wax pale. But when he seeth his children, the work of mine hands, in the midst of him, they shall sanctify my name, and sanctify the Holy One of Jacob, and shall fear the God of Israel. They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine." Mrs. E. G. White.

The history of Israel as presented in this parable should be studied by all who would practice the teachings of Christ. The vineyard represents the church. The two sons are the two classes of men and women in the world. The Lord calls every member of the church to work in his vineyard. We are to understand our relation to Christ. Christ must abide in our hearts that we may keep before us pure principles, high incentives to moral rectitude. Our work is not merely to promise but to do. Honesty and integrity must bind us up with God to fulfill his word to the letter.

Christ did not condemn the first son for refusing to obey his father's command. At the same time he did not commend him. The class who act the part of the son who said, I will not, deserve no credit for holding the position they do. This openness is not to be commended as a virtue. Sanctified by truth and holiness, this element will make a man a bold witness for Christ; but used as it is by the sinner, it is insulting and defiant, and approaches to blasphemy. The fact that a man is not a hypocrite does not make him any less a sinner. When the appeals of the Spirit of God come to the heart, our only safety lies in responding to them without delay. When the call comes, "Son, go work today in my vineyard," do not refuse the invitation. Cease working on the enemy's side, and take your position under the bloodstained banner of the Prince of life. He is the way, the truth, and the life. While it is called today, "if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." It may be that you will never hear the invitation again. A mere answer in the affirmative is not enough. We are to repent and forsake every sin, and work the works of righteousness. Will the sinner acknowledge God's claims? Will he serve the Lord, or will he continue in sin?

Self-righteousness is not true righteousness, and those who cling to it, and refuse to give it up, will be left to take the consequences of holding to a deception. Those who claim to keep the commandments of God, but are unsympathetic and cold, self-important and self-centered, have not the love of God in their hearts to flow forth to others. They say, "I go, sir," but they do not go. The open sinner has far better prospects of gaining eternal life than have these pretentious ones. He who sees himself as a sinner, with no cloak for his sin, who sees that he is corrupting soul, body, and spirit before God, becomes alarmed lest he be eternally separated from the kingdom of heaven. He realizes his diseased condition, and finds healing in Christ, who has promised, "Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out." God puts upon the repenting one the robe of Christ's righteousness, and the angels of heaven rejoice over the one soul saved.

No man can accept the gospel of Christ while he refuses the admonitions of the word of God, and follows a way of his own choosing. "Woe to the rebellious children, saith the Lord, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my Spirit, that they may add sin to sin. That walk to go down into Egypt, and that have not asked at my mouth; to strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, and to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore shall the strength of Pharaoh be your shame, and the trust in the shadow of Egypt your confusion." Will there be among the people of God in these last days those who pursue a course of action similar to that of rebellious Israel? Will those who have had privileges and opportunities, and before whom the Lord has worked in a marked manner, oppose righteousness? Shall there be among us those described by the prophet as "rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord: which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits. Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us"?

The Lord calls upon his people in 1900 to be converted. Great light has come to them, but the principles of the word of God have not been carried into the practical life. If pride and selfishness and covetousness are not eradicated from the heart, they will poison every lifespring of the soul, and true liberality and Christian courtesy can not be exercised. The attributes of the unrenewed heart are cherished. The Lord can not purify the soul until the entire being is surrendered to the working of the Holy Spirit.

Only those who eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God, can understand the Word to the saving of their souls. "The flesh profiteth nothing," Christ said; "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." No man can read the word of God, believing it to be inspired of God, without himself catching the inspiration of the Spirit that inspired the Word. A glory will flash before his eyes. He will learn the mysteries of heaven. Perfect obedience to the Word will bring a sweetness, an assurance and confidence in God, that can not be described.

It is right for us to love the Scriptures. We have for a teacher One who will mold and fashion our hearts and minds to understand the Word in its true light. If we will practice the truth, at whatever self-denial and self-sacrifice, we shall follow on to know the Lord, and we shall know that his goings forth are prepared as the morning. The Bible may be read in such a way as to glorify God. Not one word that has proceeded from the mouth of God will become void until prophecy becomes history, as in the case of the sacrificial offerings that prefigured Christ. Type met antitype in the death of the Son of God. In the cross of Calvary we may read the binding claims of the law of God. God could not change one iota of his law to meet man in his fallen condition; but he "so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Those who venture to disregard the claims of the law of God may read their condemnation in the cross of Calvary. The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. That which distinguishes God's people from every other people is their obedience to the commandments.

Christ had educated the Israelites while he was their invisible leader in the wilderness. For forty years he had addressed them as his sons, and had commanded them to teach every requirement of the law, both by precept and by example. He taught them that their prosperity and their very life depended on their obedience to all he had given in statutes and judgments. They were to be righteous in all their transactions one with another. It would make every difference with them whether they were obedient or disobedient; for God could not sustain them in transgression.

The children of Israel made a solemn vow to God that they would be obedient; but they disregarded the Lord's requirements. Some remained loyal to God, but the majority disregarded the Word. They set the law of God at defiance, and taught for doctrines the commandments of men. Because of their transgression, the Lord was about to divorce himself from the disobedient nation. He had spoken to them through the prophets, and through Christ, the great teacher, the light of the world. If they desired to do right, the way was plainly revealed to them.

They had before them the example of Nadab and Abihu. The disobedience of these men cost them their lives. Through the use of wine their senses became confused, and they used the common fire instead of the sacred. They were slain before the Lord. Moses looked with agony of soul upon their punishment. He said to Aaron, "This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified."

There is a lesson to learn from this by all who have anything to do with God's work. They are required to observe habits of strict temperance, to keep soul, body, and spirit under the protecting shield of God. Never tempt the Spirit of God. This has often led to the sin against the Holy Ghost, which has no forgiveness in this life nor in the life to come. Bear in mind that we shall reap that which we sow, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. Those who sow to the flesh will of the flesh reap corruption.

In our day we see the power of the adversary upon the human mind. Many professing godliness openly transgress the law of God. In every congregation there is a mixed multitude. Those who claim to be righteous, while they do not those things that God has commanded, are like the self-righteous Pharisees. They say, and do not. And, like the Pharisees, they stand aloof from their fellow men. Christ gives us the test by which we prove our loyalty or disloyalty. "If ye love me," he says, "keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. . . . He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. . . . If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full." Mrs. E. G. White.

Useful manual labor is a part of the gospel. The Great Teacher, enshrouded in the pillar of cloud, gave directions to Israel that every youth should learn a trade. Thus they would be enabled to earn their own bread. And knowing how hard it was to obtain money, they would not spend their money foolishly. Therefore it was the custom of the Jews, the wealthy as well as the poorer classes, to train their sons and daughters to some useful employment, so that should adverse circumstances come, they would not be dependent upon others, but would be able to provide for their own necessities. They might be instructed in literary lines, but they must be trained to some craft. This was deemed an indispensable part of their education.

Paul had been educated by the most learned teachers of the age. He had been taught by Gamaliel. Paul was a rabbi and statesman. He was a member of the Sanhedrin, and had been very zealous for the suppression of Christianity. He had acted a part in the stoning of Stephen, and we read further of him, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison." But he was stopped in his career of persecution. As he was on his way to Damascus to arrest any Christians he might find, "suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man: but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus."

After the ascension of Christ, the apostles went everywhere preaching the Word. They bore witness to Christ's work as a teacher and healer. Their testimony in Jerusalem, in Rome, and in other places was positive and powerful. The Jews, who refused to receive the truth, could but acknowledge that a powerful influence attended Christ's followers, because the Holy Spirit accompanied them. This created greater opposition; but notwithstanding the opposition, twenty years after the crucifixion of Christ there was a live, earnest church in Rome. This church was strong and zealous, and the Lord worked for it.

The envy and rage of the Jews against the Christians knew no bounds, and the unbelieving residents were constantly stirred up. They made complaints that the Christian Jews were disorderly, and dangerous to the public good. Constantly they were setting in motion something that would stir up strife. This caused the Christians to be banished from Rome. Among those banished, were Aquila and Priscilla, who went to Corinth, and there established a business as manufacturers of tents. When Paul came to Corinth, he solicited work from Aquila.

The apostles counseled and prayed together, and decided that they would preach the gospel as it should be preached, in disinterested love for the souls who were perishing for lack of knowledge. Paul would work at tent-making, and teach his fellow laborers to work with their hands, so that in any emergency they could support themselves. Some of his ministering brethren presented such a course as inconsistent, saying that by so doing they would lose their influence as ministers of the gospel. The tenth chapter of Second Corinthians records the difficulties Paul had to contend with, and his vindication of his course. God had placed special honor upon Paul. He had given him his credentials, and had laid upon him weighty responsibility. And the apostle writes, "I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you,"--because he humbled himself to do mechanical work,--"but being absent am bold toward you. . . . Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's. For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed."

Why did Paul, an apostle of the highest rank, thus connect mechanical labor with the preaching of the gospel? Was not the laborer worthy of his hire? Why did he spend in making tents the time that to all appearance might have been put to better account? Why waste time and strength in tent-making? But Paul did not regard the time he spent in making tents as lost. As he worked with Aquila, he kept in touch with the Great Teacher. He gave to his fellow laborer needed instruction in spiritual things, and he also educated the believers in unity. While he worked at his trade, he gave an example of diligence and thoroughness. He was diligent in business, "fervent in spirit, serving the Lord." He and Aquila and Priscilla had more than one prayer and praise meeting with those associated with them in tent-making. This was a testimony to the value of the truth they were presenting.

Paul was an educator. He preached the gospel with his voice, and in his intelligent labor he preached it with his hands. He educated others in the same way in which he had been educated by one who was regarded as the wisest of human teachers. As Paul worked quickly and skillfully with his hands, he related to his fellow workers the specifications Christ had given Moses in regard to the building of the tabernacle. He showed them that the skill and wisdom and genius brought into that work were given by God to be used to his glory. He taught them that supreme honor is to be given to God.

By laboring with his hands, Paul was preaching the Word. And he set an example that spoke against the sentiment, then gaining influence, that the work of preaching the gospel excused the minister from mechanical and physical labor. Paul knew that if ministers neglected physical work, they would become enfeebled. He desired to teach young ministers that by working with their hands they would become sturdy; their muscles and sinews would become strengthened. Paul recognized physical work as composing a part of the education he was to give. He realized that his teaching would lack vitality if he did not keep all parts of the human machinery equally exercised. His labor to support himself and others should have been commended, rather than regarded as belittling to his position as a minister of the gospel.

The apostle states plainly that if a man will not work, if he does not use his physical powers, neither should he eat. The healthful and equal exercise of all the powers of the being is required to keep the living machinery in the best condition. He who would have every part of the system unclogged by feebleness and disease must use every part of the system harmoniously. The muscles are not to be allowed to become weak through inaction, while the brain carries too large a share of the work. Each part of the human machinery is to bear its burden.

After leaving Philippi, Paul went to Thessalonica, on the seacoast. The history of his work there is recorded in the first and second chapters of the Second Thessalonians. He labored in the gospel, working with his hands. "We were gentle among you," he writes, "even as a nurse cherisheth her children: so being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us. For ye remember, brethren, our labor and travail; for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God." "Neither did we eat any man's bread for naught; but wrought with labor and travail night and day, that we might not be chargeable to any of you."

The Greeks on the seacoast were sharp traders. They had long educated themselves to shrewd practice in deal, and had come to believe that gain was godliness, and that an ability to make money, whether by fair means or foul, was reason why they should be honored. Paul was acquainted with their practices, and he would not give them an opportunity for saying that he and his fellow laborers preached in order to be supported by the gospel. Although it was perfectly right for him to be supported in this way, for the laborer is worthy of his hire, yet he saw that if he was, the influence upon his fellow laborers and those to whom he preached the gospel would not be the best. Paul feared that if he lived by preaching the gospel, he might be suspected of selfish motives in doing the work. He would not give any excuse to depreciate the work of the gospel by imputing selfish motives to those who preached the Word. He would not give any an opportunity to hurt the influence of God's servants. Mrs. E. G. White.

"And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus." Here the apostle remained three years and six months, "disputing and persuading the things concerning the kingdom of God." Here he toiled at his craft also. He writes to the Corinthians: "I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in Christ; we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honorable, but we are despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place; and labor, working with our hands: being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it: being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, and are the offscouring of all things unto this day. I write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons I warn you. For though ye have ten thousand instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers: for in Christ Jesus I have begotten you through the gospel."

Lifting up his toil-worn hands, Paul makes his appeal to the elders of Ephesus: "Ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." Those hands speak to us with remarkable impressiveness. Paul is not speaking mysteries. He is appealing to their knowledge of his manner of life. The great apostle was not ashamed nor afraid of work, and he did not treat this subject as in any way lowering to his work in the ministry.

The opinion of men has, in many minds, changed the order of God, and men have come to think that it is not fitting for a man who works with his hands to take his place among gentlemen. The Lord's purposes are not the thoughts and purposes of men. In the beginning God created man a gentleman, which means a man who can do work cheerfully. Men have worked hard to obtain money; and having gained wealth, they suppose that their money will make their sons gentlemen. But many such men fail to train their sons as they themselves were trained, to hard, useful labor. Their sons spend the money earned, without understanding its value. Thus they misuse a talent that the Lord designed should be used to accomplish much good.

The public opinion is that manual labor is degrading. But men may play as hard as they like at cricket, or baseball, or in pugilistic games, without being degraded! Satan is delighted when he sees human beings using their physical and mental powers in that which does not educate, which is not useful, which does not help them to be a blessing to those who need their help. While they are becoming experts in games that are not of the least value to themselves or others, Satan is playing the game of life for their souls, taking from them the precious talents God has given them, and placing in their stead his own evil attributes, which not only destroy them, but through their influence destroy those who have any connection with them.

Satan's work is to lead men to ignore God, to so engross and absorb the mind that God will not be in their thoughts. The education they have received has been of a character to confuse the mind, and eclipse the true light. Satan does not wish the people to have a knowledge of God; and if he can set in operation games and theatrical performances that will so confuse the senses of the young that human beings will perish in darkness while light shines all about them, he is well pleased.

The name of the Lord is to be glorified in the virtuous, honest, godly character of those who believe. If men walk humbly and prayerfully with God, cooperating with him in the work of salvation, righteousness will be the fruit they will bear. The apostle in his day regarded idleness as a sin, and those who indulge this evil today disgrace their profession, and bring reproach upon the gospel of Christ. Through their influence many are turned away from righteousness and truth. We are warned not to associate with those who by their course of action lay a stumblingblock in the way of others. "If any man obey not our word by this epistle," the apostle Paul says, "note that man, and have no company with him, that he may be ashamed. Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother." If he refuses the admonitions of the Lord's servants, he will bring ruin upon himself, and must bear his own sin.

The custom of supporting men and women in idleness by private gifts or church money encourages them in wrong habits. This course should be conscientiously avoided. Every man, woman, and child should be educated to practical, useful work. All should learn some trade. It may be tent-making, it may be some other business, but all should be trained to use their powers to some purpose. And God is ready to increase the capabilities of all who will educate themselves to industrious habits. We are to be "not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord." God will bless all who will guard their influence in this respect.

As a child and youth, Jesus worked with his father Joseph, and learned the carpenter's, or builder's, trade. His trade was significant. He was the character builder, and as such all his labors were perfect. At the age of twelve, on his return from his first visit to Jerusalem, his parents lost him, and, returning to Jerusalem, they sought him, sorrowing. They found him in the temple, sitting among the doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions. He was imparting light to their darkened minds, and all who heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers. When his parents saw him, and heard his questions and answers to the dignitaries of the temple, they were amazed, and scarcely knew what to say. His mother said, "Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing." "How is it that ye sought me?" he answered; "wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?" As he said these words, he raised his hand to heaven. Divinity flashed through humanity. His countenance was lighted up like the face of an angel. His parents did not understand his words. They were a mystery which they could not fathom, but a solemn awe fell upon them. "And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."

The gospel of Christ is an educator. It teaches us not to pamper and indulge self, and waste the money that should be used to extend the triumphs of the cross of Christ. There never lived a more energetic, self-sacrificing disciple of Christ than was Paul. He was one of the world's greatest teachers. He crossed the seas, and traveled far and near, until a large portion of the world had heard from his lips the story of the cross of Christ. But although he had planted many churches, he refused to be supported by them, fearing that his usefulness and success as a minister of the gospel might be interfered with by suspicions of his motives. He would remove all occasion for his enemies to misrepresent him, and thus detract from the force of his message.

The apostle would give an example to his brethren, thus dignifying and honoring industry. When ministers feel that they are suffering hardships and privations in the cause of Christ, let them in imagination visit the workshop of the apostle Paul. While this chosen man of God is fashioning the canvas, he is earning bread that he has justly earned by his labors as an apostle of Jesus Christ. At the call of duty this great apostle would lay aside his business to meet the most violent opponents, and stop their proud boasting, and then he would resume his humble employment.

God never designed that man should live in idleness. When Adam was in Eden, means were devised for his employment. Though the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, yet he that deals with a slack hand will become poor. Those who are diligent in business may not always be prospered; but drowsiness and indolence are sure to grieve the Spirit of God, and destroy true godliness. A stagnant pool becomes offensive, but a pure, flowing brook spreads health and gladness over the land. A man of persevering energy is a blessing anywhere. Mrs. E. G. White.

Christ longed to help and save the perishing, and he expressed his longing in the words, "Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor: other men labored, and ye are entered into their labors."

To every one God has committed a work. Each one is invited to take Christ's yoke and learn of him. Intensity is needed in the work of seeking to save those who are perishing out of Christ. Satan is intense in his efforts to deceive souls and gather them under his banner of apostasy and rebellion, and his laborers are without number. The Lord has a great work to be done. He has decisive battles to be fought, and he calls upon young men and young women to fight for him, to consecrate themselves to his work. "I have written unto you, young men," John says, "because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one. . . . Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth."

And the apostle Paul wrote, "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

While the aged standard bearers are in the field, let those who have been benefited by their labors care for and respect them. Do not load them down with burdens. Appreciate their advice, their words of counsel. Treat them as fathers and mothers who have borne the burden of the work. The workers who have in the past anticipated the needs of the cause do a noble work when, in the place of carrying all the burdens themselves, they lay them upon the shoulders of younger men and women, and educate them as Elijah educated Elisha.

David offered to God a tribute of gratitude for the divine teaching and guidance he had received. "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth," he declared. Those who in the history of the message have borne the burden and heat of the day, are to remember that the same Lord who taught them from their youth, inviting them, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me," and giving them the light of truth, is just as willing to teach young men and women today as he was to teach them.

It is wisdom for those who have borne heavy loads to come apart and rest awhile. These faithful workers should be relieved of every taxing burden. The work they can do as educators should be appreciated. The Lord himself will cooperate with them in their efforts to teach others. They should leave the wrestling to those who are younger; the future work must be done by strong young men. The work is under the control of the Author and Finisher of our faith. He can and will give fitness to men of opportunity. He will raise up those who can fight his battles. He never leaves his work to chance. This work is a great and solemn one, and it is to go forward.

It is not God's will that the fathers in his cause should use up their remaining vitality in bearing heavy loads. Let the young men shoulder every responsibility they can, and fight manfully the good fight of faith. The Lord knows better whom to select to do his work than do the wisest men, however interested they may be. It is God who implants his Spirit in the hearts of young men, leading them to fight for him against great odds. Thus he inspired Paul of Tarsus, who fought with all his intrusted capabilities for heaven's revealed truth, against apostates who ought to have upheld him. God's servants will have today to meet the same difficulties that Paul met. This experience some have had who are now raising the banner of truth. It is such men who can stand in defense of the truth. If they continue to be learners, God can use them to vindicate his law.

Let not the aged workers think that they must carry all the responsibilities, all the loads. New fields of labor are constantly opening before us. Let the young men unite with experienced laborers who understand the Scriptures, who have long been doers of the Word, who have brought the truth into the practical life, relying upon Christ day by day, who seek the Lord as Daniel did. Three times a day Daniel offered his petitions to God. He knew that One mighty in counsel was the source of wisdom and power. The truth as it is in Jesus--the sword of the Spirit, which cuts both ways--was his weapon of warfare. In word, in spirit, in principle, the men who have made God their trust are an example to the youth connected with them. These faithful servants of God are to link up with young men, drawing them with the cords of love because they are themselves drawn to them by the cords of Christ's love. Mrs. E. G. White.

The Lord has a message for all who are in positions of holy trust. He desires them to do honor to him by cherishing tenderness and sanctified love, by showing confidence in their brethren. In the ministration of the gospel of Jesus Christ the Lord uses diverse gifts; and he has not given any man authority to hold in low esteem the various instrumentalities and gifts of the gospel. He has not given any man the privilege of looking upon the Lord's work through his appointed agencies as inferior, or the privilege of carrying things in his own way because he thinks that way superior. This is dangerous for himself and for all who are connected with him.

"He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

All these gifts are to be blended in the work of building a spiritual structure on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ himself is the chief cornerstone, "in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord." "Fitly framed together." Study these words, and seek to understand all they comprehend. "Fitly framed together," each acting his respective part. Thus we grow "unto an holy temple in the Lord." Have a care how you build. Take heed to the admonitions of the Lord. We are to work to one end, "till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." Whence comes our power to work? "We are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus, unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." "God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

These words need to be closely studied. To those in charge of his institutions God says, You must change in heart and character. You must show that you have yoked up with Christ, to learn of him his meekness and lowliness; that you have opened the heart to the Saviour's love, so that this love may flow forth in pure, rich currents of tenderness, courtesy, and kindly deeds. If the heart is not speedily unlocked, that Christ, the light and life of men, may take possession; if there is not a reformation in the soul, a determination to obey the injunctions Christ gave his disciples, you will lose the attributes he came to give.

There is need of far more childlike sympathy. Addressing his disciples as "little children," Christ said to them, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." By this manifestation of love "shall all men know that ye are my disciples." This love God now demands his disciples to show for one another. He is greatly dishonored because his professed followers are drawing in selfish lines, closing their hearts to the softening, subduing influence of Christ's Spirit, as if to show love for one another were a species of weakness. Instead of exerting the pure, holy, uplifting influence that dwelt in Christ, many are manifesting Satan's attributes.

To the church at Ephesus John wrote, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit: "I know thy works, and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast labored, and hast not fainted. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent."

Why will brethren cherish selfishness and covetousness? Why will they allow the root of bitterness to spring up in their hearts? Would it not be well to take heed to the words of the True Witness, and find out what it is that makes the hearts of brethren as hard as steel toward one another? Shall we not ascertain for ourselves whether we are destitute of love for one another? The Lord is measuring the temple and the worshipers thereof. Will you not heed his warning? He declares, "I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee."

Read the whole of the third chapter of Revelation, and seek to understand the work to be done. Those whom Christ warns have some excellent qualifications; but these are neutralized by self-love, and self-deception, self-justification for gross neglect to help their brethren in the service of God by encouraging words and deeds. There is a dead fly in the ointment. They are being weighed by One who never makes a mistake. He tells the result of actions that show that the love of Christ is not an abiding principle in the soul. The Holy Spirit has come with convicting power to God's people; but though some stir has been made, the work of true conversion has not been perfected. Self has not yet been crucified; and until it is, hardness of heart, lack of love for one another, will be seen. You will hold to your own opinion, you will not bend from your self-exaltation to study the necessities that you should relieve. Men's hearts become like flint when they seek to grasp all for themselves, refusing to relieve the necessities of those who are doing a severe and trying work.

God calls upon you to put away your faculty for seeing the mistakes of others. Turn your attention to your own defects. Your self-righteousness is nauseating to the Lord Jesus. He declares, "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked; I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see."

Position does not make character. To all who are in positions of trust Christ says: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." This command is an application of the great lesson of love which Christ gave the lawyer who came to him with the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" This lawyer had heard the words that just previously to this Christ had spoken to his disciples. The Saviour had been giving those who kept on his track to criticise, cavil, or condemn, unmistakable evidence that he was the Sent of God. He had healed the sick, and worked other miracles; but still the people did not believe in him, and he denounced them for their resistance of light and knowledge.

The seventy disciples, whom Christ had sent "into every city and place, whither he himself would come," had returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name." Christ answered them with the words, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see; for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them."

The lawyer had been deeply convicted by these words; and he came to Christ with the question, "What shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Christ answered, "What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." "Thou hast answered right," Christ said; "this do, and thou shalt live."

Willing to justify himself, the lawyer asked, "And who is my neighbor?" In answer Christ told him of a man who had been robbed, and then left by the roadside, wounded and half dead. "And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side." Those who should have helped him did not. They looked upon their suffering fellow creature, and then passed by on the other side. Thus it is today. How many of those whose hearts should be tender and compassionate refuse to admit Christ into their hearts, and therefore fail to speak kindly and tenderly to those who are in trouble. Their brother may be very much in need of encouragement, but they have none to give. They have lost the dear Saviour, if they ever had him. They are strangers to his tenderness and love. A stern, cold, forbidding, steel-like spirit controls them; and works of mercy and love are barred out. All such should remember that they do not belong to Christ's family. He does not acknowledge them as his brethren. Selfishness, self-love, is the controlling element in their lives. They do not represent the Saviour. The image of God is not stamped on the soul. Mrs. E. G. White.

The completeness of Christian character is attained when the impulse to help and bless others springs constantly from within; when the sunshine of heaven fills the heart, and is expressed in the countenance. There is no such thing as a loveless Christian. It is not possible for the heart in which Christ abides to be destitute of love. The heart that is cold and stern is not catching the bright, softening beams of the Sun of Righteousness.

Hear the testimony of the apostle John: "These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, That God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."

"In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. . . . We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?"

Take the question to your own hearts, and answer it as if before the Judge of all the earth. A reformation must take place in every family, in every institution, in every church. "Let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth." "Let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. . . . Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. . . . If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, That he who loveth God love his brother also." "If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."

These sacred lessons, if received into the heart, will bring about the reformation essential. Many will lose heaven unless they change their selfish, unlovable, unsympathetic ways, and learn that the Spirit of Christ is not selfish and forbidding, uncourteous and loveless. Unless those who stand in responsible positions in our institutions make decided changes in heart and character, they will be condemned as lukewarm, knowing not that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." Unless we practice Christ's ways, and receive his Spirit, we are none of his. He desires us to reveal his love in word and action. All that we do should flow from a deep, abiding principle of love,--a principle that is after the similitude of Christ, who is love and light and peace. But how little, how very little, of Christ's character is revealed! The spirit of self-denial is becoming a rare thing.

The law of Christ's kingdom is in every respect to be carried out in this world. The inspired apostle declares, "Ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God." "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself."

God desires to bind his family of workers together by common sympathy, pure affection. It is the atmosphere of Christlike love surrounding the soul of the believer that makes him a savor of life unto life, and enables God to bless his work. False philosophy alone is proud, exclusive, favoring only a few. In those who have this spirit the lowly awaken little sympathy. They possess no power nor disposition to uplift the degraded. But Christ binds men to himself, to God, and to one another. True, sanctified philosophy makes all human elements one in Christ. It builds no walls of separation between man and his fellow men. Pure and undefiled religion makes the children of God one family, united with Christ in God. Connected as branches of the parent vine, they bear fruit to God's glory.

Sister Henry's whole soul was enlisted in the work of reform, and her influence was a savor of life unto life. Her personal labors we shall greatly miss. She has borne her testimony unfalteringly, yet judiciously. When convicted of the truth, her soul was glad, and without seeking to make excuse she came thankfully to the gospel feast. She rejoiced in the privilege of receiving precious truth, which makes the soul wise unto salvation, and in gratitude to God for his rich favors she felt herself under obligation to impart to others. As she had freely received, she freely gave. Faithfully did she testify to the truth. And she did this, not merely as a duty, as the work appointed her, but as a great privilege. It was her joy to make His ways known upon the earth, and his saving health among all whom her influence could reach. She was a true missionary, a gospel worker, and in heaven's record her name is written as a laborer together with God. How many souls will be saved through her precious service in drawing with Christ we can not know. The seed she has sown will continue to reproduce itself, and will show a glorious yield in the day of harvest.

We are permitted still to labor in sowing the seed. In the field of the world both good and evil seed are still being sown, and good and evil shall strive against each other until the great harvest. How full of meaning are those words of Inspiration, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." So also these other words, "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."

Day by day we see the opposing workers. In the same field, at the same time, is the work of sowing done, one sowing the seed of evil, the other of good. Those who reject the word of truth are scattering seeds of error. They are working to confuse and darken the understanding, and fasten souls in the snare of Satan. Others, receiving the seed from the great Sower, are revealing Jesus Christ, and are preparing the way for our Lord's second coming.

Christ was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief. His human life was one long travail in behalf of the inheritance he was to purchase at such infinite cost. He was touched with the feeling of our infirmities. And in consideration of the value he places upon those who are the purchase of his blood, he adopts them as his children, making them the objects of his tender care; and in order that they may have their temporal and spiritual necessities supplied, he commits them to his church, saying, Inasmuch as ye do it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye do it unto me. This is to be our watchword; and if we carry it faithfully into our lives, we shall hear the benediction, "Well done, thou good and joy faithful servant: . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

Speaking through his prophet of the work to be done by Christ in the world, God says: "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law." And Christ himself declared: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised."

This is to be the work of every servant of Christ; and his professed followers would do well to ask themselves, Have I the mind of Christ? Have I, with humble heart, sought to help and bless the souls that are oppressed, those who are tempted and tried by poverty and affliction? or have I heard the voice of my fellow men asking for pity, for consideration, and for mercy, and spurned their earnest cry? Have I made it harder for them to place their faith and confidence in a prayer-hearing God? Have I by harsh, unpitying words crushed the wounded spirit, and in hardness of heart quenched the last spark of hope in the soul? In the sight of God the richest treasure is a humble, contrite heart. The name of the Lord is magnified when the heart becomes tender, sensitive to another's woe, and pitiful of his suffering. When the Holy Spirit works upon our hearts and minds, we shall not shun duty and responsibility, and, like the priest and Levite, pass by on the other side, leaving the wounded, helpless soul to its misery. Angels of God stand ready to work with us as we minister to souls.

It is possible for a man to think himself a Christian, and yet have entirely incorrect ideas of Christianity. He may regard himself as a follower of Christ, and think he is doing an essential work, and yet do that work with such a spirit and in such a way as to stir up the worst passions of the human heart. There are many intelligent men who mean to be Christians, but who deceive themselves. Their religion is not after the order of Christ, but is a shadow of some other man's mind, and does great harm to the cause of truth when brought into connection with the work. If these persons would study the works of Christ, they would see that in their lives are revealed the attributes of Satan, rather than the beauty of the meek and lowly Jesus.

There are many who believe the truth, but their faith is not that faith which works by love and purifies the soul. At times they may speak the truth as it is in Jesus. They may be kind, and may deal with equity. They may have right ideas, and at times come to correct decisions in regard to the work. They may have ability to teach others, to educate the young, or to deal with the erring; but self is strong in them, and if in their work something arises which cuts across their plans, they place all the strength of their being on the enemy's side. They become unkind and unfeeling. They make unholy decisions, and act in a way to hurt souls nigh and afar off. They lie against the truth, while claiming to believe. Bitterness is cherished against the souls who are the purchase of the Son of God; and when, through misconception, their own spirit is brought into exercise, their unchristlike disposition manifests itself against those who are innocent. These men misrepresent Christ. By the heavenly universe as well as by men, it is seen that they have not renewed, sanctified hearts, but are coarse in disposition, unsympathetic, unkind, uncourteous, unchristlike.

God has represented this work in his word, saying, "Ye have thrust with side and with shoulder, and pushed all the diseased with your horns, till ye have scattered them abroad." This has been the course pursued by many professing Christians. They have driven souls onto Satan's battleground, to be tempted, to falter, and to fall. For a time the work may not show the result of such a course of action; for God works to preserve the honor of his cause. But when messages of warning and mercy are repeatedly rejected, these defects will become apparent; alienation will be aroused, distrust awakened. Those who have connected themselves with these men will find that they are losing personal piety and faith in Christ, that their characters are becoming molded after a wrong pattern. Temptations will be many and strong to be unmerciful, unsympathetic, untouched by the feeling of others' infirmities. Instead of learning in the school of Christ, they are being educated in wrong ways by teachers whose defects of character will close against them the gates of heaven.

No man is to be trusted with high responsibilities who does not take himself in hand daily, and through the grace given set his heart in order. Often those who do the greatest harm are those who accept positions of trust, but who have not inquired at every step, Is this the way of the Lord? The one who allows his heart to become hardened by Satan's temptations, who permits his natural disposition to gain the victory, fails to receive the impress of heaven. He becomes sapless and impoverished, and bears only wild fruit. The professed children of God who refuse the guidance of their Heavenly Father, and disregard God's message and messengers, will mourn too late the blessings they have lost. With anguish of soul they will call to mind the opportunities and privileges that were within their reach, but which they failed to improve, and which are lost to them forever.

Men are slow to learn the lesson that the spirit manifested by Jehu will never bind hearts together. It is not safe for us to bind up our interests with a Jehu religion; for this will result in bringing sadness of heart upon God's true workers. God has not given to any of his servants the work of punishing those who will not heed his warnings and reproofs. When the Holy Spirit is abiding in the heart, it will lead the human agent to see his own defects of character, to pity the weakness of others, to forgive as he wishes to be forgiven. He will be pitiful, courteous, Christlike.

Mark how tender and pitiful the Lord is in his dealings with his creatures. While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, and he stands ready to receive every wanderer who will return. The ear of the Lord is open to the cry of every one who is poor in spirit. Even before the prayer is offered, or the yearning of the soul made known, the Spirit of God goes forth to meet it. Never has there been a good desire, however weak, never a prayer lifted to God, however faltering, never a tear shed in contrition of soul, but grace from Christ has gone forth to meet the grace working in the human heart.

Our Heavenly Father appreciates his erring child, and encourages him to return. The Father's arm is placed about his repenting son; the Father's garments cover his rags; the ring is placed upon his finger as a token of his royalty. And yet how many there are, themselves needing salvation as much as he, who look upon the struggling soul not only with indifference, but with contempt. Like the Pharisee they say, "God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, . . . or even as this publican." How hard and ungracious are the thoughts cherished toward the straying sheep! How can God look with pleasure upon men and women who, claiming to be co-workers with Christ, regard the prodigal with contempt; who, while the soul is making its first struggles against the flood of temptation, stand by, like the elder brother in the parable, stubborn, self-willed, complaining? Will he not judge for these things? If those in positions of trust had realized what God expects of them in rescuing the human race, many lambs that have been killed by neglect would now be safe in the fold of God. If one half the time and strength that is now devoted to sermonizing were spent in seeking to win back the straying ones, there would be rejoicing in the heavenly courts. These sermons lived would have a telling influence in winning souls to Christ.

We need to make great changes. We need to hold to pure principles in reverence for Christ and respect for the purchase of his blood. There must be a continual growth in those attributes that tend to perfection of character. When divine grace has opened our hearts, we shall impart to others of the grace we have received. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Mrs. E. G. White.

A powerful foe, who puts on a very inviting appearance, is ever soliciting men and women for their companionship. He presents to them glowing advantages, which he tells them will be theirs if they will follow his advice. As the enemy tempted Eve, so he tempts human begins today, promising that in disobedience they will find liberty and freedom, which will make them as gods. Thus thousands upon thousands are drawn into the broad road that leads to destruction.

Satan has endeavored to change God's law by instituting a spurious sabbath, and he uses every device to induce men and women to unite with him in his apostasy; and under his leadership the Christian world has chosen another mark than that of God. I will copy a few lines from an article I have read, called "The Changed Signpost:" "Some years ago, when the world was more boisterous than it is at present [a questionable assertion], it was thought a good joke to turn round a signpost erected at a junction where two roads met. Of course the perplexity and misery which that often caused was great. Once a signpost was erected by God for those who journeyed through this world. The road to happiness was as clearly defined as was the road to the city of refuge under the Jewish dispensation. One finger of the signpost pointed out loving obedience to the Creator as the road to felicity; while the other indicated disobedience, or sin, as the path to misery. In an evil hour for our race, the great enemy turned the signpost round; so that ever since that time, multitudes have mistaken the true road to happiness."

The Lord has stated expressly that life and truth are to be found in the path of obedience. Obedience is the waymark all must follow. God has declared that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord. He has exalted this day as a memorial of his work of creation, plainly stating that it is to be a sign between him and his people throughout their generations. Thrice is this repeated in the thirty-first chapter of Exodus, and the speaker is Jesus Christ. "The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying, Verily my Sabbaths ye shall keep: for it is a sign between me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you. Ye shall keep the Sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: everyone that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people. Six days may work be done; but in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to the Lord: whosoever doeth any work in the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel forever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed."

In these words the Lord has clearly defined the road to the city of God; but the great apostate has changed the signpost, setting up a false one--a spurious sabbath. He says: "I will work at cross purposes with God. I will empower my delegate, the man of sin, to take down God's memorial, the seventh-day Sabbath. Thus will I show the world that the day sanctified and blessed by God has been changed. That day shall not live in the minds of the people. I will obliterate the memory of it. I will place in its stead a day bearing not the credentials of heaven, a day that can not be a sign between God and his people. I will lead the people who accept this day, to place upon it the sanctify that God placed upon the seventh day. Through my vicegerent I will exalt myself. The first day shall be extolled, and the Protestant world shall receive this spurious sabbath as genuine. Through the non-observance of the Sabbath God instituted, I will bring his law into contempt. The words, 'A sign between me and you throughout your generations,' I will make to serve on the side of my sabbath. Thus the world will become mine. I will be ruler of the earth, prince of the world. I will so control the minds under my power that God's Sabbath shall be an object of contempt. A sign? I will make the observance of the seventh day a sign of disloyalty to the authorities of earth. Human laws shall be made so stringent that men and women will not dare to observe the seventh-day Sabbath. For fear of wanting food and clothing, they will join with the world in transgressing God's law; and the earth will be wholly under my dominion."

The enemy of all good has turned the signpost round, so that it points to the path of disobedience as the path of happiness. He has insulted Jehovah by refusing to obey a "Thus saith the Lord." He has thought to change times and laws; but has he done this? The words in the thirty-first chapter of Exodus answer this question. With his own finger the Lord wrote the commandments on the tables of stone. "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed." "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations, for a perpetual covenant." The Creator has plainly stated that after creating the world, he rested on the seventh day, sanctifying and blessing this day as a memorial of creation, and giving it to his people as a rest day. "that ye may know," he says, "that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you." Thus he desires to test their loyalty. Shall we set aside the divine command given in such positive language, and follow the path of the transgressor? Who will venture to change the signpost, so that it shall point the wrong way, vindicating the man of sin? It is a terrible thing to place a human institution where the Lord's great memorial should be. It is a terrible thing for men to arrogate to themselves the power to set aside the day that God has sanctified and blessed, declaring it to be his holy day, and put in its place a common working day; to try to compel men to respect and reverence this day.

The Lord's word is truth. It is so plain that we can not mistake its meaning. It is not evidence that people need; for this they have. But they do not desire to walk in the way of the Lord's commandments. The world is walking contrary to the divine will; but God has a people on this earth, and between him and them the Sabbath is a sign, whereby they know that he is the Lord that sanctifies them. Upon them his mark is placed. "They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: . . . thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father."

It is obedience to the word of the living God that brings men into close relationship with Christ. Today he is saying, as he said to the Jewish people, Oh that "thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace"! And soon will be heard the irrevocable sentence, "But now they are hid from thine eyes." He said, again, as he wept over the devoted city: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not." It was not that the Jewish people could not receive Christ; they would not. Thus it will be with many in our day.

What does the Lord require of us?--The observance of his Sabbath, "as a perpetual covenant." God wishes every family to bear this sign. Thus we may show that we are loyal and true to his commandments. Look at our world, full of disrespect for God, in open rebellion against him who in a moment could destroy every soul that breathes the breath of life. What has made the world so full of violence?--A disregard of God's law. This was what filled the earth with rebellion and corruption in the days before the flood. See the regard shown today for the spurious sabbath. And those who make laws to guard this false rest day make laws also which legalize the liquor traffic, a curse that is brutalizing the beings made in the image of God, by taking away their reason. Knowing full well the sure result, man takes the wages of his fellow man, giving him in return poison that destroys his reason, and sends him from the saloon full of false ideas. He has sold his reason for liquor, and is led into all kinds of violence. Satan presents before his mind things that, though unreal, seem real to him. He is filled with a determination to kill the one who, he supposes, stands in his way. Terrible crime, and sometimes murder, is the result. Yet notwithstanding its fearful effects, the liquor curse is protected by law.

Why do not those who make laws abolish this debasing traffic?--Because they do not bear God's sign. They do not keep his commandments. Therefore they tolerate that which is making the world a second Sodom. As it was in the days of Noah, when the wickedness of men was so great that God swept from the face of the earth every living thing save that which found refuge in the ark, so also shall it be when the Son of man is revealed. Man's theories are exalted, honored, and placed where God and his law should be. But God has not altered the thing that has gone out of his lips. His word will stand fast forever, as unalterable as his throne. When every case is decided in the courts of heaven, this covenant will be brought forth, plainly written with the finger of God. The world will be arraigned before the bar of infinite Justice to receive sentence,--a life measuring with the life of God for obedience, and death for transgression. Mrs. E. G. White.

If all could appreciate this great blessing, what an advantage it would be to them! We can obtain like precious faith with Peter and those who were his companions, only through one source,--the righteousness of Christ, who as a sin bearer stood at the head of humanity, overcoming in our behalf, that we might overcome in his strength. "As many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

If man could appreciate this great blessing, what an advantage it would be to him! He is given the privilege of being a laborer together with God in the saving of his soul. Receiving and believing is his part of the contract. He is to receive Christ as his personal Saviour, and is to continue to believe in him. This means abiding in Christ, showing in him, at all times and under all circumstances, a faith that is a representation of his character--a faith that works by love, and purifies the soul from all defilement. Christ is the author of this faith, and he demands that it be constantly exercised. Thus we receive a continuous supply of grace.

Each person must obtain an experience for himself. No one can depend for salvation on the experience or practice of any other man. We must each become acquainted with Christ in order properly to represent him to the world. "His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue." None of us need excuse our hasty temper, our misshapen characters, our selfishness, envy, jealousy, or any impurity of soul, body, or spirit. God has called us to glory and virtue. We are to obey the call.

"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." How can we escape the power of one who was once an exalted angel in the heavenly courts? He was a being full of beauty and personal charm, blessed with a powerful intellect. Because of his exaltation he thought himself equal with God. He rebelled against his Creator, and by his rebellion he led astray some of the heavenly angels. With these he was cast out of heaven, and then he set up a kingdom of his own, determined that he would allure the world to his apostate banner. How can we discern his false theories and resist his temptations?--Only through the individual experience gained by receiving a knowledge of Jesus Christ our Lord. Without divine aid we could not possibly escape the temptations and snares that Satan has prepared to deceive human minds.

In his prayer to the Father, Christ said, "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." We must learn of Christ. We must know what he is to those he has ransomed. We must realize that through belief in him it is our privilege to be partakers of the divine nature, and so escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. Then we are cleansed from all sin, all defects of character. We need not retain one sinful propensity. Christ is the sin bearer; John pointed the people to him, saying, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." And Paul declared. "You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, . . . and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."

Christ says to us, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." We are ever to learn of Christ. Yoked up with him in perfect restraint, we are to be learners during our whole lifetime. Then we are indeed "laborers together with God." We can be acceptable teachers only as we learn Christ's meekness and lowliness. Constantly we must learn more and more regarding these attributes. As we partake of the divine nature, hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong are cut away from the character, and we are made a living power for good. Ever learning of the divine Teacher, daily partaking of his nature, we cooperate with God in overcoming Satan's temptations. God works, and man works, that man may be one with Christ as Christ is one with God. Then we sit together with Christ in heavenly places. The mind rests with peace and assurance in Jesus. The Saviour declares, "He that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." In him there is inexhaustible fullness. As we follow on to know the Lord, we shall lead souls to the living word. With us they will know that his going forth is prepared as the morning.

Why, then, do we not have more of the Holy Spirit?--Because we do not abide in Christ; because we do not eat his flesh and drink his blood. All who eat the heavenly bread will have eternal life. God has given us every facility, every grace. He has provided the riches of heaven's treasure, and it is our privilege to draw continually from this capital. But we do not avail ourselves of this privilege Vanity, evil thinking, and evil speaking keep us powerless and inefficient. Self is cherished, petted, exalted; and therefore we can not work out our own salvation in harmony with God's will.

The service of Christ demands prompt obedience. We are to walk as he walked, following closely in his footsteps, manifesting his meekness and lowliness. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" "He that saith he abideth in him, ought himself also so to walk even as he walked." The service of Christ is pure and elevated. The path he traveled is not one of self-pleasing, self-gratification. He speaks to his children, saying, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The price of heaven is submission to Christ. The way to heaven is obedience to the command, Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow me. As Jesus journeyed, so we must journey. The path he followed, we must follow; for that path leads to the mansions he is preparing for us. Mrs. E. G. White.

"And beside this," the apostle continues, "giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." As man works on the plan of addition, adding grace to grace, God works on the plan of multiplication. Peter declares, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue."

"For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." But a profession of faith without corresponding works is nothing. "He that lacketh these things is blind, and can not see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins." This is a description of a professed Christian who lives a life of sin. He grieves the Lord Jesus, and puts him to open shame because he manifests a character after the similitude of Satan. He retains the same objectionable traits of character that he had before he claimed to have received Christ. Indulging his corrupt tendencies, he forgets to be a doer of the Word. He does not eat the flesh nor drink the blood of the Son of God. He does not practice Christ's words nor do his works.

Then comes the conclusion: "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: for so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." This is the life insurance policy that every one may have. "Wherefore," the apostle says, "I will not be negligent to put you always in remembrance of these things, though ye know them, and be established in the present truth. Yea, I think it meet, as long as I am in this tabernacle, to stir you up by putting you in remembrance."

Now, just now, is our great opportunity to study the word of life. The hearts of many in this world are hungering for the bread of life and thirsting for the water of salvation. They desire to know the Scriptures; they desire to know what the word of God says to them. The Holy Spirit is impressing their hearts, drawing them to the bread of life. They see everything around them changing. They come to hear the Word just as it reads. They desire to build upon a firm foundation; and therefore Christians are counseled to be always ready to give a reason of the hope that is in them, with meekness and fear.

A clear, faithful testimony must be borne by every shepherd of the flock of God. The state of the heart is to be our first concern. "With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Mere speech is nothing. Preaching the Word, and then working contrary to that Word, makes it of none effect. Lip knowledge, forms and ceremonies, are of little value if Christ does not abide in the soul. We are to watch for souls as they that must give an account. We are to sanctify the Lord God in our hearts. Then we shall be men and women of faith and prayer and power. There is a great work to be done. The heart must be faithfully sentineled, else pride and rebellion will bear rule within. Evils without will awaken evils within, and the soul will wander in its own homemade fog, all the time charging upon some one else the result of its own unchristian course of action.

What privileges are ours if we will only believe and walk humbly before God, ever seeking to learn his will concerning us. The graces of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness--are the fruits that a life hid with Christ in God will produce. As a people who have had great light, we should be far advanced in spirituality and holiness. "Neither pray I for these alone," Christ said, "but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." By manifesting Christlike love we present to the world the credentials that God sent his Son to this earth to save the human race. It is our privilege so fully to partake of the divine nature that we may be one with Christ as he is one with the Father. When this is so, Christ can confess us before God and before the heavenly angels.

Christ prayed for his disciples and for us, "As thou has sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world." "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." We have need of all the spiritual help that we can obtain in order to do the work to be done in this world. Satan is taking the world captive through the use of tea and coffee, liquor and tobacco. The mind is dulled by the use of narcotics. Can any one make an impression on a man who is drunk? A drunken man is unable to distinguish between right and wrong, because the enemy has control of his brain. He has sold his reason for that which makes him mad. He has no sense of what is right; for the liquor he drinks is so drugged that it makes him insane. Satan spread a net for his feet by tempting him to take the liquor poison, and he knows no more what he is doing than a madman.

Intemperance is widespread. How much man's senses are perverted by the use of liquor and tobacco it is impossible to say. Judges, senators, lawyers, the men who frame the laws of the land, are many of them working under the stimulus of liquor. What safety is there in their management? Are the men who command the great ocean steamers, who have the control of railways, strict temperance men? Are their brains free from the influence of intoxicants? If not, the accidents occurring under their management will be charged to them by the God of heaven, whose property men and women are. Liquor drinkers are under Satan's destroying influence. He presents to them his false ideas, and no confidence can be placed in their judgment.

Yes; Christ gave his life for the life of the world. "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." He gave his Son to be the propitiation for the sins of men and women. How many appreciate this sacrifice sufficiently to touch not, taste not, handle not, accursed, intoxicating beverages? Who are co operating with Christ by practicing temperance in their lives, by keeping their tables free from all that will intoxicate?

The Lord calls for workers who are partakers of the divine nature, who have escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. He would have every man to step forth in his God-given manhood, every woman in her God-given womanhood. He desires them to stand forth like faithful sentinels, to keep back the tide of moral woe, to break the fetters that are binding human beings in slavery. God calls upon his ministers to do faithful work in presenting the great curse that man himself is manufacturing. From every pulpit the message should be heard, "Abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul." By Mrs. E. G. White.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son, and sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come. Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage. But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise: and the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them. But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city. Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."

The king sent his messengers first to those who were called his chosen people. But these, wholly intent on securing worldly gain, sent in their refusal, saying, "I pray thee, have me excused." They did not have sufficient respect for the master of the feast to accept his invitation. They are represented in the words, "Them that are turned back from the Lord; and those that have not sought the Lord, nor inquired for him." Thinking their own wisdom sufficient, these have much to say, as if they were oracles of wisdom. The Lord declares, "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord God: for the day of the Lord is at hand: for the Lord hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests. And it shall come to pass in the day of the Lord's sacrifice, that I will punish the princes, and the king's children, and all such as are clothed with strange apparel. In the same day also will I punish all those that leap on the threshold, which fill their masters' houses with violence and deceit."

When the class that were first called refused the invitation, the king sent his messengers into the highways, where were found those who were not so deeply absorbed in the work of buying and selling, planting and building. "The wedding is ready," the king said, "but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.

There are those who come in to enjoy the privileges of the banquet of truth who have not eaten the flesh and drunk the blood of the Son of God. They claim to believe and teach the word to others, but they work the works of unrighteousness. "But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind; and that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you."

Those first called, who refused the invitation, represent God's chosen people. The Lord declares, "Since the day that your fathers came forth out of the land of Egypt unto this day I have even sent unto you all my servants the prophets, daily rising up early and sending them: yet they hearkened not unto me." Had they heeded the call which meant so much to them, they could have united with the messengers in giving the invitation. But with one consent they began to make excuse. Still the blessing of truth must be set before them, to give them an opportunity to heed the message.

The invitation neglected by those who had first been bidden, was sent to another class. It was given to the Gentile world. And it was first to be proclaimed, "in the highways,"--to those who had an active part in the world's work, to the leaders and teachers among men. Let the Lord's messengers bear this in mind. It comes to the shepherds of the flock, the teachers divinely appointed, as a word to be heeded. Those belonging to the higher ranks of society are to be sought out with tender affection and brotherly regard. This class has been too much neglected. It is the Lord's will that men to whom he has entrusted many talents shall hear the truth in a manner different from the way in which they have heard it in the past. Men in business, in positions of trust, men with large inventive faculties, and scientific insight, men of genius, are to be among the first to hear the gospel call.

There are men of the world who have God-given powers of organization, which are needed in the carrying forward of the work for these last days. All are not preachers; but men are needed who can take the management of the institutions where industrial work is carried on, men who in our conferences can act as leaders and educators. God needs men who can look ahead, and see what needs to be done, men who can act as faithful financiers, men who will stand as solid as a rock to principle in the present crisis and in the future perils that may arise.

The teachers, the leading men among the people, must be called. To them the invitation must be given. They must be dealt with personally and earnestly; for if one teacher is won to the truth, he will be able to communicate to many others the light received. More work should have been done for those in high places. Those who give the last message of mercy to a fallen world are not to pass by the ministers. God's servants are to approach them as those who have a deep interest in their welfare, and then plead for them in prayer. If they refuse to accept the invitation, tell the Master about it, and then your duty is done.

Lest we should think only of great and gifted men, to the neglect of the poorer classes, those who are in humble circumstances, Christ in the parable of the great supper instructs his messengers to go also to those in the byways and hedges, to the poor and lowly of this earth. Go to those in gross darkness, and as many as you shall find, bid to the feast. This is the work we are to do. Labor is to be put forth for all classes.

The humblest men and women have their appointed work. The most lowly, if they will receive the truth, will be accepted by Christ to do his work. The Lord will do a great work through humble men in reaching humble men. God will accept the talents of the greatest men, but if these refuse to return to him their intrusted gifts, he uses humbler workers. It is God who has given men all the power they possess. Those who refuse to use their gifts in his appointed way will be left to their own finite wisdom, to lose their all. God will accept the patient, loving service of lowly people. Through the skill of a multitude of humble workers he will carry on his work.

From the arrangements made for the building of the tabernacle we see from whence man gets his strength, skill, and education. "The Lord spake unto Moses, saying, See, I have called by name Bezaleel, . . . the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in brass, and in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber. . . . And in the hearts of all that are wisehearted I have put wisdom, that they make all that I have commanded thee."

Those in the byways and hedges came in response to the call of the messenger. The servants gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good, and the wedding was furnished with guests. So those who come to the gospel feast are a mixed company. Some are true believers; others have not on the wedding garment. Some will accept the invitation, and apparently take their stand as believers, who have never put on Christ. But the work of separation is not given to any human being. Yet there is laid upon the church the work of carrying out the Bible rule in regard to disorderly members.

The man who came in to the feast without the wedding garment, represents those who violate God's law. Christ gave his life to make it possible for God to pardon sin. Violation of the law caused Adam to lose Eden. The disobedient can never enter in through the gates of the holy city. They can never have a right to the tree of life. The Lord has made every provision that no soul need in any way dishonor him. He has provided the wedding garment, and it is essential for each to be clothed in this garment. Those who think they are complete without Christ's righteousness will find in the end that they have lost their souls. Faith is made perfect by works. Those who make no change in character, though claiming the privilege of being called Christians, have not on the wedding garment. They think that in themselves they are good enough, virtuous enough. Without faith in Christ, they rest upon their own merits. True repentance for sin they have never felt. Therefore when Christ comes in to examine the guests, the command goes forth, "Bind him hand and foot, . . . and cast him into outer darkness."

Christ must be all and in all to every soul. Those who try in their own strength to solve the mystery of the creation of man, the mystery of redemption, the mystery of eternity, will be baffled. But those who put on the garment provided for them at an infinite cost, find an abundant entrance to the rich feast of spiritual blessings. By receiving this garment they acknowledge that in bestowing it God confers on them a great favor. And as they receive the righteousness of the Saviour, God places his stamp on them.

Only one can bestow this priceless gift, but all may receive it, and thus become entitled to a place at the feast. The call to this feast is a call to partake of the richest spiritual provision. All who respond to this call will find awaiting them an abundant supply of grace, and the more grace they receive, the more they desire. Those who partake of this feast may turn to their heavenly Father, saying, Thou has kept the best wine until now. Mrs. E. G. White.

Liberality is one of the directions of the Holy Spirit, and when the professed people of God withhold from the Lord his own in gifts and offerings, they meet with spiritual loss. The Lord can not reward a stinted offering. Says the apostle, "He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work."

God has made men his almoners, co-partners with himself in the great work of advancing his kingdom of the earth; but they may pursue the course pursued by the unfaithful servant, and by so doing lose the most precious privileges ever granted to men. For thousands of years God has worked through human agencies, but at his will he can drop out the selfish, the money-loving, and the covetous. He is not dependent upon our means, and he will not be restricted by the human agent. He can carry on his own work though we act no part in it. But who among us would be pleased to have the Lord do this?

The apostle Paul had a special work to present before his Corinthian brethren. There was a famine in Jerusalem, and the disciples, "every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judea." They presented the need to the churches, expecting to receive a small sum for the relief of the needy saints; and in prayer they presented before the Lord the necessity. But the Macedonian brethren, moved by the Spirit of God, first made an entire consecration of themselves to God, and then gave all that they had. They felt it a privilege thus to give expression to their trust in God. The Macedonian brethren were poor, but they did not have to be urged to give. They rejoiced that they had opportunity to contribute of their means. Of themselves they came forward and made the offering, in their Christlike simplicity, their integrity and love for their brethren, denying themselves of food and clothing in cases where they had no money. And when the apostles would have restrained them, they importuned them to receive the contribution, and carry it to the afflicted saints.

This self-denial and self-sacrifice far exceeded Paul's expectations, and he was filled with thanksgiving; and taking courage by this example, by epistle he exhorted Titus to stir up the church in Corinth to the same good works. "Moreover, brethren," he wrote to the Corinthians, "we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; how that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. Insomuch that we desired Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also finish in you the same grace also. Therefore, as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also."

This movement on the part of the Macedonians was inspired of God to arouse in the Corinthian church the spirit of liberality. Paul sought to uproot the plant of selfishness from the hearts of his brethren; for the character can not be complete in Christ when self-love and covetousness are retained. The love of Christ in their hearts would lead them to help their brethren in their necessities. By pointing them to the sacrifice Christ had made in their behalf, he sought to arouse their love. "I speak not by commandment," he said, "but by occasion of the forwardness of others, and to prove the sincerity of your love. For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich."

Here is the apostle's mighty argument. It is not the commandment of Paul, but of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Son of God had left his riches and honor and glory, and clothed his divinity with humanity, that humanity might take hold of divinity, and become a partaker of the divine nature. He came not to live in the palaces of kings, to live without care or labor and be supplied with all the conveniences which human nature naturally craves. The world never saw its Lord wealthy. In the council of heaven he had chosen to stand in the ranks of the poor and the oppressed, to take his place with the humble worker, and learn the trade of his earthly parent. He came to the world to be a reconstructor of character, and he brought into all his work the perfection which he desired to bring into the character he was transforming by his divine power. Nor did he shun the social life of his countrymen. That all might become acquainted with God manifest in the flesh, he mingled with every class of society, and was called the friend of sinners. In himself Christ possessed an absolute right to all things, but he gave himself to a life of poverty that man might be rich in heavenly treasure. Commander in the heavenly courts, he took the lowest place on earth. Rich, yet for our sake he became poor. Though he was in the form of God, he "thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

How great was the gift of God to man, and how like our God to make it! With a liberality that can never be exceeded he gave, that he might save the rebellious sons of men and bring them to see his purpose and discern his love. Will you, by your gifts and offerings, show that you think nothing too good for Him who "gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"? The man who truly loves God will not offer to him lip service merely. He will bring to the treasury his gifts and offerings, that laborers may be sent forth to sow the precious seed.

Evidence of the work of grace in the heart is given when we do good to all men as we have opportunity. The proof of our love is given in a Christlike spirit, a willingness to impart the good things God has given us, a readiness to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice in order to help advance the cause of God and suffering humanity. Never should we pass by the object that calls for our liberality. We reveal that we have passed from death unto life when we act as faithful stewards of God's grace. God has given us his goods; he has given us his pledged word that if we are faithful in our stewardship, we shall lay up in heaven treasures that are imperishable.

Men and women need to understand that the means they are handling are not their own. "Ye are not your own," the apostle says, "for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." To withhold our offerings will not be for our own interest or for the glory of God. The Lord will use all who will give themselves to be used. But he requires heart service. "My son," he says, "give me thine heart." When the heart is given to God, our talents, our energy, our possessions, all we have and are, will be devoted to his service. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Why do we keep so silent in regard to the goodness of the Lord? Why is there so little praise and thanksgiving? How heaven must look upon our ungrateful silence, so like the sullenness of peevish children! All heaven is interested in our salvation. The Lord God himself is our helper. "Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem." "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing." This is the testimony the Lord desires us to bear to the world.

On the Sabbath, March 10, few outsiders came to the campground. But there were present over a hundred of the workers from the Echo publishing house at North Fitzroy, and a goodly number of our brethren and sisters from the suburbs of Melbourne, from Ballarat, and from Adelaide in South Australia. We had excellent meetings. A meeting for the youth and another for the children were held in some of the larger tents. These were continued every day during the week.

On Sunday a large number attended the six o'clock morning meeting. I united with the people in prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. I then dwelt upon the necessity of believing that we do receive the blessings for which we ask. "Ask, and it shall be given you," is the promise. Our part is to rest on the word with unwavering faith, believing that God will do according to his promise. Let faith cut its way through the shadow of the enemy. When a questioning doubt arises, go to Christ, and let the soul be encouraged by communion with him. The redemption he has purchased for us is complete. The offering he made was plenteous and without stint. Heaven has a never-failing supply of help for all who are needy.

It is the Saviour's delight to see his followers co-laborers with God, receiving bountifully all the means of fruit bearing, and giving bountifully, as workers under him. Christ glorified his Father by the fruit he bore, and the lives of his true followers will produce the same result. Receiving and imparting, his workers will produce much fruit. "Hitherto," Christ said to his disciples, "have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

On Sunday morning a Sabbath school convention was held. I spoke in the afternoon on the subject of temperance, taking the first chapter of Daniel as my text. All listened attentively, seeming surprised to hear temperance presented from the Bible. After dwelling on the integrity and firmness of the Hebrew captives, I asked the choir to sing,--"Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone! Dare to have a purpose firm! Dare to make it known!" The inspiring notes of this song rang out from the singers on the stand, who were joined by the congregation. I then resumed my talk, and I know that before I had finished, many present had a better understanding of the meaning of Christian temperance. The Lord gave me freedom and his blessing, and a most solemn impression was made upon many minds.

In our work, more attention should be given to the temperance reform. Every duty that calls for reform involves repentance, faith, and obedience. It means the uplifting of the soul to a new and nobler life. Thus every true reform has its place in the work of the Third Angel's Message. Especially does the temperance reform demand our attention and support. We should call attention to this work, and make it a living issue. We should present to the people the principles of true temperance, and call for signers to the temperance pledge. In other churches there are Christians who are standing in defense of the principles of temperance. We should seek to come near to these workers, and make a way for them to stand shoulder to shoulder with us.

On Tuesday I was attacked with influenza, and was unable to attend meeting again until the next Sabbath. This was a holiday, and there was a large attendance from the city. I was still suffering from the influenza, but the Lord gave me his sustaining grace, and my voice was clear and strong as I spoke from the first chapter of Second Peter. On Sunday afternoon the audience was very large. I spoke from Isaiah 58, explaining every verse, but dwelling especially upon the words, "They that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places: thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; and thou shalt be called, The repairer of the breach, The restorer of paths to dwell in. If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day; and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words: then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord: and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."

Sunday evening the tent was crowded, and hundreds were standing outside. Elder Farnsworth gave a most powerful discourse on the subject of the Sabbath and Sunday. Then he asked for an expression from those to whom the claims of the Sabbath had been made clear. A large number rose to their feet. When the meeting closed, the people gathered in little groups to discuss what they had heard. Our ministers were in the midst of these gatherings, and talked with the people. Some were expressing their astonishment at the truths presented, some with trembling hands were trying to find the Scripture proof for Sunday-keeping. Others declared that the things which the minister had read were not in their Bibles. They felt that the people who had turned the world upside down had come to Geelong. Many seemed to realize their need of Bible instruction. Never before had the gospel of truth come to their ears as they had heard it at this meeting.

In the work at our campmeetings we should give prominence to the truths of the Third Angel's Message. We are in danger of giving this message in so indefinite a manner that it does not impress the people. So many other interests are brought in that the very message which should be proclaimed with power becomes tame and voiceless. While the professed Christian world claim to believe in Christ, they are violating the law which Christ himself proclaimed from Sinai. The Lord bids us, "Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." The trumpet is to give a certain sound. Lift up the standard, the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. Make this the important theme. Then by strong arguments wall it in, and make it of still greater force. Dwell more on the Revelation. Read, explain, and enforce its teachings.

Our warfare is aggressive. Tremendous issues are before us, yea, and right upon us. Our prayers should ascend to God that the four angels may continue to hold the four winds, that they may not blow to injure or destroy, until the last warning has been given to the world. Then let us work in harmony with our prayers. Let nothing lessen the force of the truth for this time. The Third Angel's Message must do its work of separating from the churches a people who will take their stand on the platform of eternal truth.

From the first of our meeting in Geelong, we have been treated in the most kind and courteous manner by the people of the city. Among the crowds that have come to the campground no disrespect has been shown. Even among the children and youth there has seemed to be no disposition to create disturbance. Our audiences have not been made up of men and women of the baser sort. They have been persons of intelligence. And they have not come in order to gratify curiosity. Very few have been seen strolling about the grounds, observing the homes of the campers. The people made their way directly to the tent. All were quiet, and appeared reverential. There seemed to be as great solemnity as if we were within the walls of a church. The people listened as if for their lives. We have never attended a meeting where there was better order or a greater interest than there has been here.

After the evening meetings the people would linger for half an hour, and often longer, talking together of the things they had heard. Some of our workers would engage in conversation with them, and answer the questions and objections that arose in their minds. Our ministers make it a point, as far as possible, to meet the people at the close of the evening service. They take their hands in a friendly grasp, expressing pleasure at meeting them, and the hope that they will come again. Thus is woven a thread in the tie that binds heart to heart. The social handclasp brings a warmth to the heart, and a sense of relationship. "All ye are brethren."

It was proposed to continue our meeting on the campground over the third Sabbath and Sunday. But there was an appearance of rain, and knowing that the equinoctial storm would soon be due, we decided to transfer our services to a large hall in the city. This hall is the one in which Elder Robinson and I spoke when we were here two years ago. It is well seated, and will accommodate a larger number than the tent. The regular rent is one pound per night, but it has been secured for our meetings as long as we desire it, for half this sum. And we have the hall, free, for Sabbath and Sunday afternoons. We thank the Lord for the use of this large hall in which to continue the work so favorably begun.

Our campmeeting closed free from debt. Economy has been exercised in all the arrangements, and by earnest effort, sufficient means has been raised to meet expenditures; so there will be no debt from this source to burden the hearts of the workers for the coming year. And a hundred pounds has been pledged for the new Sydney Sanitarium. This is a good donation to come from the little company of believers assembled at this meeting. They have done what they could.

The precious blessing of God has attended our meeting from the beginning to the close. Every meeting has been a victory. We have had evidence that the Lord Jesus and his army of angels were with us. Their presence has been in our tent, and they have encompassed us round about. The peace of heaven has invaded our encampment. The softening, subduing influence of the Holy Spirit has been upon human hearts, and not an inharmonious note has been heard.

Had we needed greater evidence as to the ministry required for giving the last message of mercy to the world, we have had it at this meeting. Thousands of all classes of people have had the word of God opened to them. But for the campmeeting many of these might never have been reached. Such a solemn awakening has never before been witnessed in this place. Of a truth it could be said, "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up." By Mrs. E. G. White.

As Christ represented the Father to the world, so Christ's followers are to represent the Son. "God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." Christ charges his disciples to shine as lights in the world, reflecting the light of God as they see it in the face of Jesus Christ. Again he compares his people to the salt. "Ye are the salt of the earth," he says; "but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted?" Unless our daily lives reveal the saving properties of Christ, how can the world have a representation of the truth as it is in Jesus? That religion which has not power to enlighten and save perishing souls, is good for nothing but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

In his life work and his plans for reaching the people, Christ teaches us how we shall represent him. "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness," he says. "Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding: that when he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him immediately. Blessed are those servants, whom the lord when he cometh shall find watching."

God is the author of our faith, and when we each act our individual part, he perfects the work, glorifying his name in the finishing of it. God sees all the possibilities there are in men to work out his divine end; and those who are called to be laborers together with him, he will instruct to work according to his plans. As co-workers with Christ they will labor for the poor, the outcast, and the depraved. They will not fail nor be discouraged, for, imbued with the Spirit of Christ, they will see hope for the most hopeless. They will work in God's lines, realizing that man must be sought for and labored for in order to be made Christlike.

God never designed that one man's mind or judgment should be a controlling power. Whenever he has had a special work to be done, he has always had men ready to meet the demand. In every age when the divine voice has asked, Who will go for us? the response has come, "Here am I; send me." In ancient times the Lord had connected with his work men of varied talents. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses with his meekness and wisdom, and Joshua with his varied capabilities, were all enlisted in God's service. The music of Miriam, the courage and piety of Deborah, the filial affection of Ruth, the obedience and faithfulness of Samuel,--all were needed. Elijah with his stern traits of character, God used at his appointed time, to execute judgment upon Jezebel.

God will not give his Spirit to those who make no use of the heavenly gift. But those who are drawn out of and away from themselves, seeking to enlighten, encourage, and bless others, will have increased ability and energy to expend. The more light they give, the more they receive. There is nothing isolated or selfish in the religion of Jesus Christ. Every true Christian will feel that he has something to do for the salvation of souls. The ambassadors for Christ, who assume the responsibility of watching for souls, must be closely connected with God. They will feel that they are not their own, but the Lord's, and that God has a right to use all their powers for the honor and glory of his name.

The time is hastening on when those who stand in defense of the truth will know by experience what it means to be partakers in Christ's sufferings. The great oppressor sees that he has but a short time in which to work, that soon he will lose his hold upon man and his power be taken from him, and he is working with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish. Superstition and error are trampling upon truth, justice, and equity. Every power that is antagonistic to truth is strengthening. There is a work to be done in the earth, and God calls upon us individually to act a part in unfurling the banner of truth. There is great need of real missionaries and of the real missionary spirit. Many of us are far behind the providences of God. Because we do not see so much accomplished as we hope, we become discouraged. This is not as God wills. He desires us to work earnestly, engaging all the tact and wisdom he has endowed us with, and leave the results with him. We must realize that we are co-workers with Christ, and we each must have the faith which will take hold upon omnipotent power, a faith that can not be repulsed or baffled by the obstacles that Satan may oppose.

Paul was a living example of what every true Christian should be. He lived for God's glory. His words come sounding down the line to our time: "For me to live is Christ." "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world." He who was once a persecutor of Christ in the person of his saints now holds up before the world the cross of Christ. Paul's heart burned with a love for souls, and he gave all his energies for the conversion of men. There never lived a more self-denying, earnest, persevering worker. His life was Christ; he worked the works of Christ. All the blessings he received were prized as so many advantages to be used in blessing others.

Christ calls every man and woman to put on the armor of his righteousness and begin to work. I am at your right hand to help you, he declares. Tell all your trials and perplexities to your God. He will never betray your confidence. There is nothing so precious to Christ as his purchased possession, his church, the workers who go forth to scatter the seeds of truth. And none but Christ can measure the solicitude of his servants as they seek to save that which is lost. He imparts his Spirit as the self-sacrificing worker, with earnest, untiring efforts, labors to win souls from sin to righteousness. He is represented as bending earthward, listening to the cry of every needy soul. He is approving or condemning the actions of human beings, and he sends help to every soul who asks in faith. Then do not let your thoughts dwell on self. Think of Jesus. He is in his holy place, not in a state of solitude, but surrounded by ten thousand times ten thousand of heavenly angels who wait to do his bidding. And he bids them go and work for the weakest saint who puts his trust in God. High and low, rich and poor, have the same help provided.

Souls are starving for the bread of life, and unless God's chosen ones are faithful to their trust, these souls will perish. At the judgment bar of God we shall be called to account for every word we might have spoken but did not. Our lips need to be touched with a live coal from off the altar, that when the call comes, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" we may answer, "Here am I, Lord; send me." Chosen of God, and sealed with the blood of consecration, we are to stand pointing souls to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world. Then our words will no longer be cheap and meaningless; for Christ will speak through us.

When Christ's ambassadors present the gospel in its simplicity, and the hearers respond to the word presented, nothing is more gratifying to the heart of Infinite Love than for these souls to come to him confessing their sins and giving expression to their faith; he delights to impart to them his righteousness. And angels rejoice when they see hearts opened to receive the communication of light and pardon and love. When thanksgiving arises from human hearts, heavenly beings take up the song of praise. The prophet Zephaniah represents the joy of Christ over the salvation of a lost soul: "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."

And will not the soul redeemed render his tribute of love and homage? Yes, verily. With the psalmist he will sing, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies. Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they can not be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."

"Laborers together with God." How few understand the full meaning of the words! We can not work by ourselves. God works, and we work. Let us study the words of Inspiration. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." "Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." The great Architect wants to form us into a holy temple for himself. Only those who are partakers of the divine nature can understand this. Those who walk even as Christ walked, who are patient, gentle, kind, meek, and lowly in heart, those who yoke up with Christ and lift his burdens, who yearn for souls as he yearned for them--these will enter into the joy of their Lord. They will see with Christ the travail of his soul, and be satisfied. Heaven will triumph, for the vacancies made in heaven by the fall of Satan and his angels will be filled by the redeemed of the Lord. By Mrs. E. G. White.

When the disciples were disputing as to which should be greatest in the kingdom of heaven, Christ called a little child to him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, "Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh! . . . Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father."

The human agent is a savor of life unto life, or he is a savor of death unto death. He either draws with Christ, or he draws away from Christ. Co-workers with Christ will manifest no harshness, no self-sufficiency. These elements must be purified from the soul, and the gentleness of Christ take possession. Never should unkindness be shown to any soul, for by the grace of God that soul may become an heir of God, a joint heir with Christ. Bruise not the hearts of Christ's purchased ones; for in so doing you bruise the heart of Christ.

"Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees," the apostle writes; "and make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way, but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." That is, Let not your coldness, your unkindness, turn souls from the path that leads to Christ. There are souls who need your words of encouragement, and these can not be helped by your unfeeling decisions, and words and looks of contempt.

Christ calls men to unity, to bind themselves together in the bands of Christian fellowship. Those who have named the name of Christ he calls to cease their criticism, and bind up with one another and with God. If God's people will work intelligently and harmoniously, he will work with them and through them. But if they spend time and energy in a strife for the supremacy, God will leave them in their weakness; for he will not work with unconsecrated elements. The word of God demands that we be one with Christ, as he is one with the Father, that, Christ says, "ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven."

The Redeemer did not shun man as man is inclined to shun his fellow men. When God condemned the guilty sinner because he was deserving of condemnation, the Majesty of heaven came near in all the fullness of the God-head. He looked upon the world in its fallen, corrupted state, and his heart of love was burdened because of the woe of his human creatures. He looked for the central power of all evil, and he beheld the great apostate, the fallen angel who had been expelled from the heavenly courts, and who had assumed the power and throne of God upon the earth. The Son of God read all the purpose of Satan to eclipse God from the view of man. And he knew that by paying the ransom he could end the reign of the enemy, and vindicate the justice of God. Therefore he clothed his divinity with humanity. He stooped to this fallen world that he might restore in man the divine image.

As his prophetic eye saw the results of his sacrifice, Christ exclaimed, "Now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." In the place where Satan has his seat, there will I set my cross. I will stand at the head of humanity. Through my merits man shall stand on vantage ground. I will be the great center to draw all men to God. As under the rule of Satan evil influences have conspired for the ruin of man, so under my rule the influence of my servants shall form a power to restore. The legions of hell will combine with the prince of darkness to oppose the laws of the kingdom of Christ; but to every man I will give his work, and with his work I will give power to win souls to God. Every human being who will receive and believe in me I will use in winning back the world to God.

The redemption of man means unity with Jesus Christ. The Saviour pledged himself to recover the principles of human dependence upon a plan that could save and reform man. He would make man a laborer together with God. By the sacrifice of himself he would enable every human being to be one with his fellow men and with God. All the elements of the human character he would make sanctified instruments to carry out the Lord's great plan to rescue souls from the snares of the enemy that they might behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

This plan unites the believers to God as one man. One rule of life is the principle of action. A chain of mutual dependence, made fast to the throne of God, passes round every blood-bought soul. "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!" In the divine economy God has made provision that man may be a partaker of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Reformative influences destroy the desire to do evil; the holy agencies of heaven sanctify the soul and choose the human agent to do service for God. It is the work of God to expel evil from the soul by connecting humanity with divinity. All difference and disunion are destroyed by a union with the great Center. God's people are made one with Christ, and the Father loves them as he loves his own Son.

Man stands in need of just such a firm, abiding life-principle, a principle which will connect him with God, and through God with his fellow man. And God stands in need of just such workers,--men and women who are pure in spirit, compassionate, humble, men and women who are one with Christ as he is one with the Father. Christ prayed to the Father: "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, . . . that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it; that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them." When God's people work together harmoniously and intelligently, Christ's request to the Father for them will be fulfilled. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Virtually Caiaphas was no high priest. He wore the priestly robes, but he had no vital connection with God. He was uncircumcised in heart. Proud and overbearing, he proved his unworthiness ever to have worn the garments of the high priest. He had no authority from heaven for occupying the position. He had not one ray of light from God to show him what the work of the priest was, or for what the office was instituted.

Many today who claim to be Christians are in danger of rending their garments, making an outward show of repentance, when their hearts are not softened nor subdued. This is why so many continue to make failures in the Christian life. An outward appearance of sorrow is shown for wrong, but their repentance is not that which needs not to be repented of. May God grant to his church true contrition for sin. Oh that we might feel the necessity of revealing true sorrow for wrongdoing!

The mock trial of Christ shows how base the priesthood had become. The priests hired men to testify under oath to falsehoods. But truth came to the help of Christ. Pilate declared, "I find in him no fault at all." Thus it was shown that the witness borne against the Saviour was false that the witnesses had been hired by men who cherished in their hearts the basest elements of corruption. It was God's design that those who delivered Jesus to death should hear the testimony of his innocence. "I find no fault in him," Pilate declared. And Judas, throwing at the feet of the priests the money he had received for betraying Christ, cried out, "I have sinned, in that I have betrayed the innocent blood."

Previously to Christ's trial, when the Sanhedrin had been called together to lay plans for waylaying Christ and putting him to death, some of the members pleaded with the others to check their passion and hatred. They wished to save Christ from death. In reply Caiaphas said: "Ye know nothing at all, nor consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that the whole nation perish not."

These words were uttered by one who knew not their significance. He had lost the sense of the sacredness of the sacrifices and offerings. But his words meant more than he or those connected with him knew. By them he bore testimony that the time had come for the Aaronic priesthood to cease forever. He was condemning one who had been prefigured in every sacrifice made, but one whose death would end the need of types and shadows. Unknowingly he was declaring that Christ was about to fulfill that for which the system of sacrifices and offerings had been instituted.

Caiaphas was the one who was to be in office when type met antitype, when the true High Priest came into office. Each actor in history stands in his lot and place; for God's great work after his own plan will be carried out by men who have prepared themselves to fill positions for good or evil. In opposition to righteousness, men become instruments of unrighteousness. But they are not forced to take this course of action. They need not become instruments of unrighteousness, any more than Cain needed to. God said to him, "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door." Cain would not hear the voice of God; and as a result, he became his brother's murderer.

Men of all characters, righteous and unrighteous, will stand in their several positions in God's plan. With the characters they have formed, they will act their part in the fulfillment of history. In a crisis, just at the right moment, they will stand in the places they have prepared themselves to fill. Believers and unbelievers will fall into line as witnesses to confirm truth that they themselves do not comprehend. All will cooperate in accomplishing the purposes of God, just as did Annas, Caiaphas, Pilate, and Herod. In putting Christ to death, the priests thought they were carrying out their own purposes, but unconsciously and unintentionally they were fulfilling the purpose of God. He "revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him."

Heaven and earth will pass away, but not one jot or tittle of the word of God will fail. It will endure forever. All men, whatever their position, whatever their religion, loyal or disloyal, wicked or righteous, are fitting themselves for a part in the closing scenes of this earth's history. The wicked will trample one another down as they act out their attributes and fulfill their plans, but they will carry out the purposes of God.

Our Redeemer humbled himself, fully identifying his interests with the interests of humanity. Look at him girding himself and washing the feet of the disciples. Mark how tenderly he performs his act of ministry, to give them a lesson in true service. He who was one with God, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, humbled himself, and took upon him the form of a servant. Constantly he ministered to the needy, the sorrowful, the distressed. But in the hour of his need, who was tender and compassionate to him? During his trial, what friend had he who dared to say as much as the heathen judge said, "I find no fault in him"? Christ's divinity was so completely veiled that it was difficult for even his disciples to believe in him; and when he died on the cross, they felt that their hope had perished.

Christ mourned for the transgression of every human being. He bore even the guiltiness of Caiaphas, knowing the hypocrisy that dwelt in his soul, while for pretense he rent his robe. Christ did not rend his robe, but his soul was rent. His garment of human flesh was rent as he hung on the cross, the sin bearer of the race. By his suffering and death a new and living way was opened. There is no longer a wall of partition between Jew and Gentile. "By one offering he hath perfected forever them that are sanctified." This enabled him to proclaim on the cross, with a clear and triumphant voice, "It is finished." "Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with the blood of others; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." "This man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God." Christ entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." He has qualified himself to be not only man's representative, but his advocate, so that every soul, if he will, may say, I have a Friend at court, a High Priest who is touched with the feeling of my infirmities. By Mrs. E. G. White.

The priests and rulers did all that lay in their power against the only begotten Son of God, and against all who acknowledged him; for they were imbued with the spirit of him who is a liar and a murderer. But though Satan thus vented his spite against the children of God and their great Head, he could not control the conscience nor tarnish the soul. He may cause all the suffering possible to the body, but he can not change the character of the man who conscientiously serves God.

Today men may persecute even unto death in an effort to make their fellow men worship an idol sabbath, which has been brought into existence by the man of sin, who thinks to change times and laws. But to torture and put to death is all they can do. Satan makes a continual effort to ruin the souls that God is seeking to save. By his masterly inventions and crooked deceptions he seeks to confuse men's minds in regard to the way, the truth, and the life. Under his direction men have inflicted untold pain and misery on their fellow men. But they have never been able to harm the soul.

There is a power that can destroy both soul and body. "I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear," Christ said. "Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him." The Ruler of the universe bears long with the perversity of men; but he keeps a record of their works, and in proportion as they have caused pain to others, they will themselves be punished. John writes, "I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues. For her sins have reached unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Reward her even as she rewarded you, and double unto her double according to her works: in the cup which she hath filled fill to her double. How much she hath glorified herself, and lived deliciously, so much torment and sorrow give her: for she hath said in her heart, I sit a queen, and am no widow, and shall see no sorrow. Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her."

"God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." No earthly ruler could show himself so jealous of his honor, so interested in his subjects, so kind and tender to those who put their trust in him, as does the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the Ruler high above all rule. He has strictly prohibited all sin, and has strictly enjoined practical obedience. It is Satan who fills man's heart with a desire to do evil. Those who follow him, the busy, incessant worker of evil, are not content with imperiling their own souls. They present every inducement that they think will lead others to imperil their souls. If they can not rule, they seek to ruin. A spirit of exasperation, of revenge and hatred, works in the children of disobedience, as it worked in the first great rebel. He imbues his followers with every species of malignity against those who can not be induced to join his ranks. Gaping prisons are open before them. They are threatened with the chain-gang and the stocks. Thus men treat those who worship God according to the dictates of their own conscience. Have they forgotten that as they judge and punish, so they will be judged and punished?

God has said, "Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm." Men have borne false witness against God's chosen ones. They have bruised their limbs with fetters, and burned them at the stake. The Lord will avenge his children. In proportion as men have carried out the spirit and purposes of Satan in causing pain to human beings, so will they suffer. Thus will they perish who have done all in their power to compel men to transgress the law that God has commanded all to obey. "I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse," John writes; "and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."

Christ says, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?" Let the Lord testify in regard to the fruit he bears. "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me," he declares; "because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives [not to sentence them to prison and exile, to chain-gangs and stocks], and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified." This is the work of Christ. What a contrast to the work of Satan!

The Lord has not forgotten his people who live in this age. He says to them, "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God? Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that were incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded: they shall be as nothing; and they that strive with thee shall perish. . . . For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." "For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."

We are living in probationary time. There are today only two sides, only two parties, in the world. Of those whom God sees that he can trust because they are loyal and obedient, he says: "They that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch. But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings."

The Lord makes a covenant with his people. After being tested and tried, those who are loyal to God's commandments are pronounced trustworthy members of the royal family, children of the heavenly King; and of them it is written, "He that overcometh shall inherit all things," "and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels." "Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem."

"These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name. Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth."

"Because thou hast kept the word of my patience." Does this apply to the men who persecute those who conscientiously keep the commandments of God, who refuse to bow down to an idol sabbath and worship an institution of the papacy? Who is keeping the word of God's patience? This is a question of intense interest,--a question which none of us can afford to ignore; because God has said of those who do keep the word of his patience, "I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation."

The hour of test and trial will surely come; it is even now approaching. Christ declares, "Behold, I come quickly; hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown." "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last. 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." Compare these words with the warning, "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb. . . .

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them." "I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." By Mrs. E. G. White.

The law of God is the only true standard of moral perfection. In the life of Christ this law was carried into action, and this is our example. Nothing short of this will meet the requirements of God. We may plead our inability to keep the law, but this will not excuse us. Such a plea is the language of the carnal heart, which is not willing to put forth determined effort in self-conquest. Christ could say, "I have kept my Father's commandments." And the disciple John declares, "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked."

We read the biographies of Christians, and think their experience and attainments entirely beyond our reach. These, we say, are the histories of a few who were specially favored by grace. But these high attainments are for all. Christ died for every soul, and God assures us in his word that he is more willing to give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him than parents are to give good gifts to their children. We may be engaged in the common duties of everyday life, but we can make these sacred by simple, earnest faith, and persevering, trusting prayer. God is honored by the steadfast integrity, the holy walk and conversation, of his people, even in the humblest walks of life.

The apostles and prophets and holy men of old did not perfect their characters by miracle. They used the ability given them by God, trusting alone in the righteousness of Christ; and all who will use the same means may secure the same result. It is our privilege to have high spiritual attainments; for God's word has declared it. But these call for faith and labor on our part. We must have an earnest desire for higher and still higher attainments in the Christian life. Paul exhorts us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." This means a close connection with God, which will give us trust and confidence in him, until we have an experimental knowledge of his divine nature, and are changed into his image. Then we can glorify God by revealing to those with whom we associate the result of the transforming influence of his grace.

There are many whose religion consists in theory. To them a happy emotion is godliness. They say, "Come to Jesus, and believe in him. It makes no difference what you believe so long as you are honest in your belief." They do not seek to make the sinner understand the true character of sin. He is not urged to search the Scriptures on bended knees that he may know what is truth, or to pray that his eyes may be anointed with eyesalve that he may see the grace of Christ. When the lawyer came to Christ, saying, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" the Saviour did not say, Believe, only believe, and you will be saved. "What is written in the law?" he said; "how readest thou?" The lawyer answered: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself." Christ said, "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live." Here the false doctrine that man has nothing to do but believe is swept away. Eternal life is given to us on the condition that we obey the commandments of God.

Satan is willing that every transgressor of God's law shall claim to be holy. This is what he himself is doing. He is satisfied when men rest their faith on spurious doctrines and religious enthusiasm; for he can use such persons to good purpose in deceiving souls. There are many professedly sanctified ones who are aiding Satan in his work. They talk much of feeling; they speak of their love for God. But God does not recognize their love; for it is a delusion of the enemy. God has given these persons light, but they have refused to accept it. With the father of lies, they will receive the reward of disobedience. It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness than after they had known it to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. The testimony of John is, "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected."

Christ warns his followers, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing; but inwardly they are ravening wolves." He exhorts us not to be deceived when false shepherds present their doctrines. These men tell us that the commandments of God were done away at the death of Christ. Shall we believe them, these men who claim to be sanctified, while they refuse to obey God? They say the Lord has told them that they need not keep the ten commandments; but has the Lord told them this?--No; God does not lie. Satan, who is the father of lies, deceived Adam in a similar way, telling him that he need not obey God, that he would not die if he transgressed the law. But Adam fell, and by his sin he opened the floodgates of woe upon our world. Again, Satan told Cain that he need not follow expressly the command of God in presenting the slain lamb as an offering. Cain obeyed the voice of the deceiver; and because God did not accept his offering, while he showed his approval of Abel's offering, Cain rose up in anger and slew his brother.

We need to know for ourselves what voice we are heeding, whether it is the voice of the true and living God, or the voice of the great apostate. Eternal life is of value to each of us, and we must take heed how we hear. We need sound doctrine, pure faith. We cannot afford to receive the sayings of men for the commandments of God. God declares, "If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes."

John gives us the definition of sin. "Whosoever committeth sin," he says, "transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." And this was after the crucifixion of Christ, when, we are told, the law was abolished. When type met antitype in the death of Christ, the sacrificial offerings ceased. The ceremonial law was done away. But by the crucifixion the law of ten commandments was established. The gospel has not abrogated the law, nor detracted one tittle from its claims. It still demands holiness in every part. It is the echo of God's own voice, giving to every soul the invitation, Come up higher. Be holy, holier still. This just and holy law is the standard by which all will be judged in the last day. We need to ask ourselves the question, Are we making void the law of God, or are we standing in vindication of it? We should carefully examine our thoughts and words.

The law has no power to pardon transgression. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ must be exercised. As the sinner looks into this divine mirror, he will see the exceeding sinfulness of sin, and will be driven to Christ. Godly sorrow will result from a realization of his frailty and depravity. His faith in the atoning sacrifice will be based on the sacred promise of full and complete pardon in Christ.

Let us earnestly inquire, What is truth? We can not afford to build on a sandy foundation. The doctrines revealed in the word of God are to be the foundation of our faith. It is of the utmost importance that we understand, as far as God has given us capacity for understanding, the principles upon which his government rests; for the principles which we believe and receive into the heart will govern and control the actions. The more clear the understanding of the truth which is in Jesus, the more spiritual will be the religious life, the more holy the affections. By Mrs. E. G. White.

In his lessons Christ sought to reach the understanding through the actual occurrences and events that take place in this world. Instruction of the highest value is given in the parables by which Christ illustrated the spiritual character of his kingdom. The Great Teacher used the things of nature to reflect the wisdom of the Creator. Human life in all its bearings is similar to nature. Nature and human life obey the commands of God. They answer to his majestic, wonder-working power.

And he who created the world and made the lofty mountains, who opened the fountains of the great deep, who formed the mighty rocks and the lofty trees, has given man power to appreciate these wonders of earth and heaven, power to understand the lessons drawn from them by Christ. But human intelligence could never have originated these lessons, and neither can man understand them only as God by his Holy Spirit sanctifies the observation. When the mind is freed from perverting influences, it can receive and understand these lessons.

The field containing the treasure represents the word of God. As the treasure was found in this field, so by earnest searching, treasure is found in the Scriptures. The Bible is God's great lesson book, his great educator. All true science is contained in the Bible. Every branch of knowledge may be found by searching the word of God. But few are true Bible students. Few understand that it contains instruction not only in spiritual matters, but in all branches of knowledge.

Human reasoning alone can never explain the science of education. Spiritual eyesight is required to understand what the true higher education is. It is the education gained by searching the Scriptures, but it is strangely neglected. If men had closely, earnestly, continuously studied God's word, making the Bible its own commentator, the key with which to unlock Scripture, they would have been as much astonished at the golden treasures revealed as was the man who found the treasure in the field. But men have departed from God's great lesson book, and their senses have become confused.

Too often artificial knowledge is forced into the mind, to the perversion of true education. Little confidence can be placed in human reasoning. Were Christ in the world today, the veriest stripling in the schools would prate to him of so-called science. But Christ would answer: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye can not serve God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your Heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. . . . But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

Christ gave to the world a lesson that should be engraved on mind and soul. "This is life eternal," he said, "that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." But Satan works on human minds, saying, Do this or that action, and ye shall be as gods. By deceptive reasoning he led Adam and Eve to doubt God's word, and to supply its place with a theory that led to transgression and disobedience. And his sophistry is doing today what it did in Eden. When Christ came to our world, he selected humble fishermen as the foundation of his church. To these disciples he tried to explain the nature of his kingdom and mission. But their limited comprehension imposed a restraint upon him. They had been receiving the sayings of the scribes and Pharisees, and therefore much of what they believed was untrue. And though Christ had many things to say to them, they were unable to hear much of what he longed to communicate.

Christ finds the religionists of this time so full of erroneous sentiments that there is no room in their minds for the truth. With the education given, teachers mingle the sentiments of infidel authors. Thus they have sown tares in the minds of the youth. They give utterance to sentiments that should not be presented to young or old, never thinking of what kind of seed they are sowing, or of the harvest they will have to garner as the result.

How few realize that the Bible is the great instrument of God's government through probationary time! This Word is the direct unveiling of truth, and we need a far greater knowledge of its teachings than we now have. A man may go through all the grades of the schools and colleges of today; he may devote all his powers to acquiring knowledge: but unless he has a knowledge of God, unless he understands and obeys the laws that govern his being, he will destroy himself by wrong habits, by using tea, coffee, and strong drink. Thus he thinks to brace himself up, but instead he loses his power of self-appreciation. He loses self-control. He can not reason acutely and correctly about matters that concern him most closely. He is reckless and irrational in his treatment of his body, and by wrong habits he makes of himself a complete wreck. Happiness he can not have; for his neglect to cultivate pure, healthful principles, that he may be a sound man, places him under the control of habits that ruin his peace. For a time he may be elated by the stimulus of alcohol, but this elation is followed by a corresponding depression, and by sluggish movements of the brain. His years of taxing study are lost, for he has destroyed himself. By indulgence he has destroyed the harmonious action of the different parts of the being. He has misused his physical and mental powers, and the temple of the body is in ruins. By acquiring earthly knowledge he thought to gain a treasure; and he laid his Bible aside, ignorant that it contained a treasure worth everything else.

Christ sought to win the minds of those who were absorbed in earthly things, and teach them of heavenly things. Had the teachers of his day been willing to be instructed by the Great Teacher, had they yoked up with Christ, cooperating with him in sowing the world with the pure seeds of truth, the world would have been converted, and prepared for the society of the royal family in the heavenly courts. Had the scribes and Pharisees united their forces with the Saviour, the knowledge of Christ would have restored the moral image of God in man. The Old and New Testaments would have been the lesson book of every school; for men would have realized that therein is found true science.

The Lord Jesus is the model teacher, and he has given to the world the Old and New Testaments as a textbook. He who created our world, the Father and King of the heavenly world, knows just how to instruct the human family. Satan has been playing the game of life for the souls of men and women; but God has no pleasure in the death of the wicked: and when the Lord of life and glory came to this earth, he came to restore the moral image of God in man, and he left an example in his lessons that he desires all teachers to follow. These lessons teach men how to escape from the degradation of sin, that mind and heart may not be filled with cheap imagery by following the common tread of the world. They are a source of divine knowledge, which will qualify the student for the higher grade. If mind and heart are not perverted by false theories, if the light proceeding from him who is the light of the world is not quenched, students will obtain an education that will be accepted by God. The mass of rubbish that has been presented will be cut away from the education given in our schools.

There is no time now to fill the mind with false ideas of what is called higher education. There can be no higher education than that which comes from the Author of truth. The word of God is to be our study. We are to educate our children in the truths found therein. It is an inexhaustible treasure; but men fail to find this treasure because they do not search until it is within their possession. In this Word is found wisdom, unquestionable and inexhaustible wisdom, that did not originate in the finite mind, but in the infinite mind.

He who would seek successfully for the hidden treasure must rise to higher pursuits than the things of this world. His affections and all his capabilities must be consecrated to this search. Men of piety and talent catch views of eternal realities, but often they fail to understand, because the things that are seen eclipse the glory of the unseen. By many man's wisdom is thought to be higher than the wisdom of the divine Teacher, and God's lesson book is looked upon as old fashioned, so much so indeed as to be thought tame and stale. But by those who have been vivified by the Holy Spirit it is not so regarded. They see the priceless treasure, and would sell all to buy the field that contains it. In the place of bringing into our schools books containing the suppositions of supposedly great authors, they will say, Tempt me not to disrespect the greatest Author and the greatest Teacher the world has ever known, who gave his life for us, that by his death and resurrection we might have everlasting life. He never makes a mistake. He is the great fountainhead, from whom all wisdom flows.

Those who make the word of God their study, who dig for the treasures of truth, will appreciate the weighty principles taught, and will digest them. As a result, they will be imbued with the Spirit of Christ; and by beholding, they will become changed into his likeness. They will teach like disciples who have been sitting at the feet of Jesus, who have accustomed themselves to learn of him, that they might know him whom to know aright is life eternal.

No one can search the Old and New Testaments in the Spirit of Christ without being rewarded. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden," the Saviour says, "and I will give you rest. Take my yoke [of obedience] upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." The Great Teacher's invitation is before you. Will you willingly respond to it? You can not draw near, placing yourself as a learner at the feet of Christ, without having your mind enlightened, and your heart quickened with a pure, holy admiration. You will then say, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."

Disobedience has closed the door to a vast amount of knowledge that might have been gained from the word of God. Understanding means obedience to God's commandments. Had men been obedient, they would have understood the plan of God's government. The heavenly world would have opened its chambers of grace and glory for exploration. Human beings would have been altogether different from what they are now, in form, in speech, in song; for by exploring the mines of truth, men would have been ennobled. The mystery of redemption, the incarnation of Christ, his atoning sacrifice, would not be, as they are now, vague in our minds. They would have been not only better understood, but altogether more highly appreciated.

In eternity we shall learn that which, if we had received the enlightenment that it was possible for us to obtain here, would have opened our understanding. The themes of redemption will employ the hearts and minds and tongues of the redeemed through the everlasting ages. They will understand the truths that Christ longed to open to his disciples, but which they did not have faith to grasp. Forever and forever, new views of the perfection and glory of Christ will appear. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Let canvassers handle books which bring light and strength to the soul, and let them drink in the spirit of these books. Let them put their whole soul into the work of presenting these books to the people. If they are imbued with the Spirit of God, heavenly angels will give them success in their work, and they will gain a deep, rich experience. God would be pleased to see "The Desire of Ages" in every home. In this book is contained the light he has given on his work. To our canvassers I would say, Go forth with your hearts softened and subdued by reading of the life of Christ. Drink deeply of the water of salvation, that it may be in your hearts as a living spring, flowing forth to refresh souls ready to perish.

Those who will read attentively the words which the human agent has tried to present clearly to enlighten the minds of others, will receive God's blessing. He will be with every one who seeks to understand the truth that he may set it before others in clear lines. Make no delay. God has spoken plainly and clearly, giving instruction to be given to those who need it, that they may be brought to the knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus. Mrs. E. G. White.

This figure represents the advantages and opportunities given to Israel. To them as his church God committed his oracles. Through Moses they received divine precepts and commandments. Guides and ministers were appointed them. God gave them riches and prosperity. They had every temporal and every spiritual advantage. They were hedged about by the law of ten commandments. This was what distinguished Israel from every other nation on the face of the earth.

When the children of Israel were in bondage to the Egyptians, God revealed himself as a God above all human authority, all human greatness. The signs and miracles he wrought in behalf of his people show his power over nature, and over the greatest among those who worshiped nature, who ignored the power that made nature. God went through the proud land of Egypt just as he will go through the earth in the last days. With fire and tempest and death the great I AM redeemed his people, to make them glorious as his special representatives. He took them out of the land of bondage. He bore them as upon eagles' wings, and brought them unto himself, that they might dwell under the shadow of the Most High.

Moses was appointed by God to be the visible leader of the people. He received a special education for this work; and though he had little confidence in himself, he had confidence in God. But often the people whom he was leading lost faith in God. At one time, when Moses was in the mount communing with God, they went to Aaron, saying, "Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him." Aaron had been left as the guardian of the church; and had he been faithful to his duty, had he held the people to their allegiance, this terrible record of idolatry need never have been written. But he yielded to the clamor of the people. He betrayed sacred trust; and had not Moses interposed in his behalf, death would have been his penalty.

When Moses came down from the mount and saw what the people were doing, he said to Aaron, "What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought so great a sin upon them? And Aaron said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, . . . we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf."

Once more the Lord showed his forbearance in dealing with his erring people. Opportunity was given for them to save themselves from the punishment that had been ordered. "Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And he said unto them, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Put every man his sword by his side, and go in and out from gate to gate through the camp, and slay every man his brother, and every man his companion, and every man his neighbor."

After the command of the Lord was obeyed, Moses said to the people, "Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin--"Here Moses paused, as if not knowing what to say. He knew that the request he had presented was a great one. "And if not," he continued, "blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written." Moses was speaking to Jesus Christ, who had given himself as a propitiation for the sins of the world. As he pleaded before his Lord, the depth of his love for his people was revealed. God saw it all, and he was honored by his servant's love and compassion. "Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book," he said. "Therefore now go, and lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine angel shall go before thee."

The children of Israel were indeed given great privileges. They witnessed a most wonderful manifestation of God's power when they passed through the Red Sea. And day by day they journeyed under the pillar of cloud, the symbol of the divine presence. Why did they not value the privilege of being taught by the living God? Christ was their instructor. He was their guardian, their shield, their defense. He desired them to render perfect obedience to his commands. This would be a hedge about them, keeping them from destroying themselves by sinful practices. With wonderful patience, Christ strove to educate the people to believe in him as the author and finisher of their faith. He intrusted to them the everlasting principles of truth, justice, and purity.

God desired his people to obey him because they realized that obedience would make them men and women of understanding. He drew the willing and obedient to him with cords of love. He desired his people to go forth conquering and to conquer. It was their privilege to reveal in their lives the character of their leader. The souls of men and women are of infinite value in God's sight, not because, as many declare, they have natural immortality, but because it is possible for them through faith in Christ to gain immortality. Christ only has immortality. Belief in him is to the repentant soul the germ of a new life.

"Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play." In the place of offering praise and thanksgiving to God, acknowledging his blessings, calling the attention of those associated with them to him, they drew minds away from him by their wrong course of action.

"Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall."

We need to beware lest we suffer the same fate as did ancient Israel. The history of their disobedience and downfall has been recorded for our instruction, that we may avoid doing as they did. It has been written "for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." If we pass by these cautions and warnings, developing the same traits of character developed by the Israelites, what excuse can we plead? By Mrs. E. G. White.

During the Jewish economy, at appointed times God sent prophets and messengers to receive his portion from the husbandmen. These messengers saw that everything was being appropriated to a wrong use, and the Spirit of God inspired them to warn the people of their unfaithfulness. But though the people were convicted in regard to their unrighteous course, they would not yield, but became more stubborn. Entreaties and arguments were of no avail. They hated reproof.

Paul records the treatment received by God's messengers. "Women received their dead raised to life again," he declares; "and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword; they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented (of whom the world was not worthy); they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth."

For centuries God looked with patience and forbearance upon the cruel treatment given to his ambassadors, at his holy law prostrate, despised, trampled underfoot. He swept away the inhabitants of the Noachian world with a flood. But when the earth was again peopled, men drew away from God, and renewed their hostility to him, manifesting bold defiance. Those whom God rescued from Egyptian bondage followed in the footsteps of those who had preceded them. Cause was followed by effect; the earth was being corrupted.

A crisis had arrived in the government of God. The earth was filled with transgression. The voices of those who had been sacrificed to human envy and hatred were crying beneath the altar for retribution. All heaven was prepared at the word of God to move to the help of his elect. One word from him, and the bolts of heaven would have fallen upon the earth, filling it with fire and flame. God had but to speak, and there would have been thunderings and lightnings and earthquakes and destruction.

The heavenly intelligences were prepared for a fearful manifestation of Almighty power. Every move was watched with intense anxiety. The exercise of justice was expected. The angels looked for God to punish the inhabitants of the earth. But "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "I will send my beloved Son," he said. "It may be they will reverence him." Amazing grace! Christ came not to condemn the world, but to save the world. "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."

The love that Christ manifested can not be comprehended by mortal man. It is a mystery too deep for the human mind to fathom. Christ did in reality unite the offending nature of man with his own sinless nature, because by this act of condescension he would be enabled to pour out his blessings in behalf of the fallen race. Thus he has made it possible for us to partake of his nature. By making himself an offering for sin, he opened a way whereby human beings might be made one with him. He placed himself in man's position, becoming capable of suffering. The whole of his earthly life was a preparation for the altar.

Christ points us to the key of all his suffering and humiliation,--the love of God. We read in the parable, "Last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son." Again and again the Jewish nation had apostatized. Christ came to see what he could do for his vineyard that he had not done. With his divinity clothed with humanity, he stood before the people, presenting to them their true condition.

How was the Son of God received?--When the husbandmen saw him, they said, within themselves, "This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him." Christ came to his own, but his own received him not. They rewarded him evil for good, and hatred for love. His soul was filled with grief as he saw the backsliding of Israel. As he looked at the devoted city, and thought of the punishment to come upon it, he exclaimed, with weeping, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate."

Christ was "despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief." By wicked hands he was taken and crucified. Speaking of his death, the psalmist writes: "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid. The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented me. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears. Then the earth shook and trembled: the foundations also of the hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it. He bowed the heavens also, and came down: and darkness was under his feet. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies."

After giving the parable of the vineyard, Christ put to his hearers the question, "When the Lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those wicked husbandmen?" Among Christ's hearers were the very men then planning how they could take his life. But so engrossed had they become in the narrative, that they answered, "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons." They did not realize that by their denunciation of the husbandmen they had pronounced their own sentence. But Jesus now fastened the guilt where it belonged.

As Christ made the application of his words, the Pharisees saw the meaning of the parable. His words struck home to their hearts, and they cried out, in dismay, "God forbid." The Lord permitted them to see and realize their peril. They saw a true picture of their condition. They were given a vivid, momentary view of their course of action and its result. But they closed their eyes against light, and hardened their hearts against conviction. They were determined to carry out their satanic purpose.

"And whosoever shall fall on this stone," Christ continued, "shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." Those who remain impenitent will understand the meaning of the wrath of the Lamb. The punishment that was to fall upon the Jewish people would be all the more terrible because of the poor return they had made for God's great mercy and love. Not long after this parable was given, the Son of God stood in Pilate's judgment hall, before a human tribunal, and there he was condemned by false witnesses. Though declared innocent by a heathen judge, he was delivered into the hands of the cruelest power that earth can produce,--a mob inspired by Satan.

"What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" God asks. "Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wild grapes?" When God called for fruit in its season, the Jewish people were surprised that he expected anything of the kind. They professed to be the most pious people on the earth. They had been employed as guardians and almoners of truth, and they should have used the Lord's goods to bless and benefit the world. But they abused the messengers sent to them; and when God sent his Son, the heir to the inheritance, they lifted him upon the cross of Calvary. One day they will see the result of their impenitence. No longer will be heard the pleadings of infinite love; but the wrath of the Lamb, the power they defied, will fall upon them as a rock, grinding them to powder.

The Lord declared that he required his husbandmen to give him the returns of his vineyard. Men are not to use their possessions as their own, but only as intrusted to them. The Lord's portion is to be faithfully returned to him. "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord. And if a man will at all redeem aught of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof. And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the Lord. He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed."

The statutes regarding the Lord's portion were often repeated that the people might not forget them. They were to return to God his rental money. This he claimed as his portion. Their physical and mental powers as well as their money were to be used for him. His vineyard was to be faithfully cultivated, so that a large income could be returned to him in tithes and offerings. A portion was to be set apart for the sustenance of the ministry, and was to be used for no other purpose. Gifts and offerings were to be made to relieve the necessity of the church. Means was to be appropriated for the relief of the poor and suffering.

The history of the children of Israel shows us the many privileges they enjoyed. And the richest blessings were in store for them if they kept the Lord's commandments. "Know therefore," God declared, "that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." "Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to fear him." "What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, to keep the commandments of the Lord, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?"

Shall we profit by the teaching of the parable of the vineyard? "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high."

"I had planted thee a noble vine," God declares, "wholly a right seed: how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me?" The lesson is for us. Paul declares, "And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in. Well, because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear." This message comes to all who share the privileges once given to ancient Israel. "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy. Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief." "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." By Mrs. E. G. White.

"The kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place, and said unto them: Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.

"So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen."

In this parable Christ compares the kingdom of heaven to a man in search of workmen. Those in search of work took their position in the market place, and at different hours during the day the husbandman went there and engaged men. The steward was directed to call them together in the evening, that they might receive their wages. Beginning with those hired last, he paid them all the same sum. This offended those who had begun work early in the day. Had they not worked for twelve hours? they reasoned; and was it not right that they should receive more than those who had worked for only a few hours in the cooler part of the day? "These last have wrought but one hour," they said, "and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day."

On another occasion Christ said, "Which of you, having a servant plowing or feeding cattle, will say unto him by and by, when he is come from the field, Go and sit down to meat? And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink? Doth he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I trow not. So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do."

By these parables Christ would teach us a lesson of humble service. He who reads the hearts of all men knew that in the spiritual life of his followers traits of character would appear that would lead them to indulge in proud boasting and in disparaging others, as if they understood the value of soul-service. Those indulging these attributes would regard their work as of much value, while looking upon the work of their fellow laborers as inferior.

The law of nature is that we reap as we sow. But Christ was here laying down the principles of the law of his kingdom. He did not consult the opinions of others regarding him, but steadily worked out his own purpose according to his own standard. The way in which, in the parable, the owner of the vineyard dealt with his workers, represents God's dealing with the human family. God declares, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. . . . For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts." Christ came to this earth to represent God, and he was not bound about by the actions of any other householder. He worked according to the laws of the kingdom that is not of this world. He did not aim to follow any human standard.

The gospel of the kingdom is not confined by any precise regulations. Christ deals with men in a way that develops their moral and spiritual capabilities. He does not reward his servants according to the amount of labor done, or according to the visible results, but according to the spirit brought into the work. To observers this dealing seems unequal, and their sympathy goes out to those who say, "These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day." But the Lord makes no excuse for this supposed unfairness. "Those who came first," he says, "received the amount for which they agreed to work. The last stipulated no terms. They left the matter of payment with me, having faith that I would do what is right and just."

No one should enter Christ's service in the spirit of a hireling. Such ones work for the remuneration they receive. They think their work is of greater value than the work of those who come in later; and they try to make terms with God, saying that for a stated reward they will do a stated amount of work. Thus did those in the parable who were first called. There are many professed believers who possess a large measure of the hireling spirit. They work for the wages they hope to receive.

Those who came at the eleventh hour were so thankful for an opportunity to work that they left the matter of payment with their employer. They were glad to work at any price. Their hearts were full of thanksgiving, full of love for the one who had accepted them, and they showed their faith in him by asking no questions in regard to reward. When at the close of the day the householder began with them, and paid them for a full day's work, they were greatly surprised. This was unlike any treatment they had ever received. They knew that they had not earned the money given them. The kindness expressed in the countenance of their employer went to their hearts, and filled them with gratitude. They never forgot the goodness of the householder, or the gracious compensation they received.

Those who make a definite demand receive their wages--nothing more. Does not this teach us that faith is needed in the service of Christ? The humble and confiding, who are willing to accept any sum, however meager, God surprises with a large reward because they bring thankfulness and joy into their work. David declares, "With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt show thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself unsavory. And the afflicted people thou wilt save; but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down."

Those who think more of their wages than of the privilege of being honored as servants of the Lord, who take up their work in a self-gratulatory spirit, do not bring self-denial and self-sacrifice into their work. Christ warns those in his service not to bargain for a stipulated sum, as if their Master would not deal truly with them. The last men hired believed the word of the householder, "Whatsoever is right I will give you." They knew that they would receive all that they deserved, and they were placed first because they brought faith into their work. If those who had labored during the whole day had brought a loving, trusting spirit into their work, they would have continued to be first. The Lord Jesus estimates the work done by the spirit in which it is done. At a late hour he will accept penitent sinners who come to him in humble faith, and are obedient to his commandments. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Christ gave the parable of the householder that murmurers might not receive sympathy on account of their supposed grievances. Grumblers will always find something to grumble at. Their hearts need to be purified. If the hearts of those first called had been purified, they would have seen only liberality in the action of the householder. Those who are in the service of Christ must have faith in him. The men and women who watch for something in their brethren and sisters of which they can make capital demonstrate before the heavenly universe that to them the goodness of God is an occasion of murmuring.

The disposition to find fault and complain too often finds place among professed Christians. They may be first in enduring hardship, privation, and trial, but the spirit they indulge is unchristlike, and renders them untrustworthy. They think they are entitled to a large reward because of the work they do. Thus it was with the Jews. They depended for reward on the long years of service they had given, believing that a certain amount of work must receive a certain remuneration, and that therefore they would be more highly rewarded than those who had done less.

God has given to every man his work. In temporal and spiritual things we are to work for him. Never are we to boast of our endowments. "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." The apostle Paul reached the point where faith in God's word had become assurance. He wrote to Timothy, "Watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." This is the battle cry of one who had been faithful with his Lord's goods, and who was waiting to receive the benediction, "Well done, good and faithful servant; . . . enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."

In the book of Malachi God specifies the reward to be given to those who are faithful. All nations will see the power of God exercised in behalf of those whom he can safely bless as his chosen ones. "I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes," he declares, "and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field. . . . And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land."

There is another class, who complain of God. "Your words have been stout against me," he says. "Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy; yea, they that work wickedness are set up; yea, they that tempt God are even delivered." These weigh God's actions in human scales. Their words are stout against him, as they strive to vindicate themselves. By their words and actions they dishonor God, and create an atmosphere of evil about their souls.

In strong contrast to the murmurers are the ones of whom God says, "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not." The Lord has a people on the earth, and his working with them reveals the supernatural results that are seen when the human will is under the control of the will of God. Of them he says, "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

"Many be called, but few chosen." The Lord's invitation continues from early morning till the last hour of the day. But many who accept his invitation possess only the theory of the truth. They have not that faith which works by love and purifies the soul. They think they are entitled to large wages because of their service. They claim to have served God all their lives, as did the Jews; but they reveal a spirit that is querulous and faultfinding. Thus they show that there is no connection between God and their souls. The indulgence of this spirit of exaltation makes those who might have been first last. They will be placed last because self has not been hid with Christ in God. We are not to esteem our work as worthy of large recognition. God will reward us in accordance with the spirit that has characterized our work.

This parable does not excuse those who, after hearing the truth, assent to it, saying, "That is all true," and then fail to comply with it. These refuse to walk in the light, because by so doing they would displease their friends or disturb their own satisfied condition of self-righteousness. The parable does not teach that the Lord will vindicate those who, because they wish their own time and their own way, refuse the first call to work. When the householder went to the market and found men unhired, he said, "Why stand ye here all the day idle?" And the reply was, "Because no man hath hired us." None of those called later in the day were there in the morning. They had not refused the call. Those who refuse and afterward repent, do well to repent; but it is not safe to trifle with the first call of mercy. God will not be trifled with.

Whatever work we do, we are to do it for Christ. There are many kinds of temporal work to be done for God. An unbeliever would do this work mechanically, for the wages he receives. He does not know the joy of cooperation with the master worker. There is no spirituality in the work of him who serves self. Common motives, common aspirations, common inspirations, a desire to be thought clever by men, rule in his life. Such a one may receive praise from men, but not from God. Those who are truly united with Christ do not work for the wages they receive. Laborers together with God, they do not strive to exalt self.

In the last great day decisions will be made that will be a surprise to many. Human judgment will have no place in the decisions then made. Christ can and will judge every case; for all judgment has been committed to him by the Father. He will estimate service by that which is invisible to men. The most secret things lie open to his all-seeing eye. When the Judge of all men shall make his investigation, many of those whom human estimation has placed first will be placed last, and those who have been put in the lowest place by men will be taken out of the ranks and made first. By Mrs. E. G. White.

"And the Jews' Passover was nigh at hand: and many went out of the country up to Jerusalem before the Passover, to purify themselves. Then sought they for Jesus, and spake among themselves, as they stood in the temple, What think ye, that he will not come to the feast? Now both the chief priests and the Pharisees had given a commandment, that, if any man knew where he were, he should show it, that they might take him." "Then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead. There they made him a supper; and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that sat at the table with him.

"Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment." Mary had long kept this ointment; there seemed to be no fitting opportunity to use it. But Jesus had forgiven her sins, and she was filled with love and gratitude to him. The peace of God was upon her, her heart was full of joy; and she greatly desired to do something for her Saviour. She resolved to anoint him with her ointment. She thought the ointment her own, to use as she pleased, and so it was in one sense. But had it not first been Christ's, it could not have been hers.

Seeking to avoid observation, Mary anointed Christ's head and feet with the precious ointment, and wiped his feet with her long, flowing hair. But as she broke the box, the odor of the ointment filled the room, and published her act to all present. "Then saith one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, which should betray him, Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred pence, and given to the poor?" Judas looked upon Mary's act with great displeasure. Instead of waiting to hear what Christ would say of the matter, he began to whisper his complaints to those near him, throwing reproach on Christ for suffering such waste. "Why was not this ointment sold," and the proceeds given to the poor? he said. Craftily he made suggestions that would be likely to awaken disaffection in the minds of those present, causing others to murmur also. Writing of this, Mark says, "There were some that had indignation within themselves, and said, Why was this waste of the ointment made? For it might have been sold for more than three hundred pence, and have been given to the poor?" Oh, that they had known that even though the most valuable treasures that science or art could produce had been bestowed on Jesus, it would not have been waste!

Judas was one of the twelve; but he had not been striving to overcome his natural traits of character in accordance with the light that was constantly shining upon him. He had a high opinion of his executive ability, and looked upon himself as superior in financial management to his fellow disciples. Constantly he strove to exalt himself, and by his business ability he had gained the confidence of the eleven. But he had a narrow, avaricious spirit. For the slight services that he performed for Christ he paid himself from the money in the bag. He took from the store committed to his care, thus narrowing down their resources to a meager pittance. He was eager to put into the bag all he could obtain; and when something that he did not think essential was bought, he would say, Why is this waste? Why was not the cost of it put into the bag that I carry for the poor?

General principles touching his case had been laid down by the Great Teacher, but Judas had not profited by these instructions. Instead, his selfishness had strengthened. This had tainted and corrupted the whole man. When Mary made her offering to the Saviour, Judas talked about the poor, "not that he cared for the poor; but because he was a thief, and had the bag, and bare what was put therein." He who was about to sell his Master for thirty pieces of silver had no heart for the poor. He who stole from the treasure in the bag was capable only of cruel, mean actions. He carried blasphemy in his heart. Had Mary's ointment been sold, and the proceeds fallen into Judas' possession, not one particle improved would have been the condition of the poor.

Mary heard the words of criticism, and felt the lowering glances directed toward her. Her heart trembled within her. She feared that her sister would reproach her for extravagance. The Master, too, might think her improvident. Without apology or excuse, she was about to shrink away, but the voice of her Lord was heard: "Let her alone; why trouble ye her?" He saw that she was embarrassed and distressed. He knew that in the act of service just performed, she had expressed her gratitude for the forgiveness of her sins; and he brought relief to her mind. Lifting his voice above the murmur of criticism, he said, "She hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always."

Christ told Mary the meaning of her act, the full significance of which she had not understood. He gave her more than he received. "In that she hath poured this ointment on my body," he said, "she did it for my burial." Mary did not then think of connecting death with her gift of love. But Christ was to die; his body was to be broken. He was to rise from the tomb, and the fragrance of his life was to fill the earth. "Verily I say unto you," he declared, "wheresoever this gospel shall be preached in the whole world, there shall also this, that this woman hath done be told for a memorial of her."

Mary's act was in marked contrast with what Judas was about to do. He was soon to betray his Lord into the hands of cruel and blood thirsty men. What a sharp lesson Christ might have given him who had dropped the seed of criticism and evil thinking into the minds of the disciples! How justly the criticiser might have been criticised! He who reads the motives of every heart, who understands every action, who weighs the spirit that prompts to action, might have opened before those at the feast dark chapters in the experience of Judas. The hollow pretense on which the traitor based his words might have been laid bare; for he did not sympathize with the poor, nor make efforts to relieve them. But had Christ unmasked Judas, this would have been used as a reason for the betrayal; and though charged with being a thief, Judas would have gained sympathy, even among the disciples.

The love that Mary expressed for Christ made apparent the selfishness of Judas. By commending the action that Judas had so severely condemned, Christ rebuked Judas. This should have brought him to his senses. He should have been led to investigate his motives, and to confess that his judgment of Mary's action had been wrong. But his past experience had not been one of repentance and confession. His narrow, selfish ideas had often been rebuked by Christ in a general way. In his teachings Christ had presented the danger of selfishness and avarice. But Judas had not benefited by the instruction given. He did not take Christ's words into his heart, engraving them on his character. Of him it could be said: "Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it."

Judas was given opportunities and privileges which, had they been improved, would have constituted him a man having that faith which works by love and purifies the soul. He would have been cleansed from selfishness and covetousness. Light was given him, but he refused to act on this light. His character was not changed for the better; his heart was not purified. The opportunities given him were not appreciated. He did not appropriate the truth, and put it into practice in the service of God. His mind was open to receive the temptations of the prince of darkness, and he fell into the snare prepared for him. He wanted his own way; and as the Lord does not force any man to do him service, he was permitted to entertain the temptations of the enemy. Instead of resisting Satan, he admitted him, and therefore he was controlled by a spirit that led him to criticise the words and works of Christ.

The Saviour's love for his followers can not be measured; and Judas could not but see the lovable traits of his Master's character, his sympathy and compassion, because they were in such marked contrast with his own. But the words spoken by Christ as he rebuked him for criticising Mary's action rankled in his heart. He was not humbled, but provoked, by the reproof. He said to himself, "I will be revenged for this reproof." By betraying Christ, he thought to obtain a large sum of money. He went directly from the supper to the chief priests, and agreed to deliver Christ into their hands. The priests were greatly rejoiced, "and they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him."

The history of Judas is given as a representation of the history of some who will be in the church till the close of this earth's history. There are more than one Judas among the professed followers of Christ. They are to be found in every country, in every church. Persons that are not Christians are brought into church relationship. They may appear to serve Christ; but because of this, it does not follow that they have the love of Christ in their hearts. There are those who have the name of being in the service of Christ, but who are inspired by the same spirit as was Judas.

Not always is a man a Christian because he professes to be a disciple of Christ. Though a disciple, Judas never understood Christ. He refused the light given him. He who sets his feet in a wrong path is very apt to misunderstand. He is blind; he can not see. He misinterprets what he hears, giving it a meaning that is altogether wrong. The Holy Spirit must guide the imagination, or words will be so placed that they will do harm. Wise words, words that the Lord has spoken, words tender and kind and true, will be given a meaning that God never meant them to have.

There are today those who have acted as did Judas. Every opportunity has been given them to hear the word of truth, and to be sanctified through it; but they refuse to eat the bread of life. They have been given light, but they have refused to walk in it, and the light has become darkness to them. That which they once loved and upheld, they now hate and tear down. Filled with rage, they treat as poison what once was light and joy to them.

"Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God. Behold, all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with sparks: walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand; ye shall lie down in sorrow." "Woe unto them that seek deep to hide their counsel from the Lord, and their works are in the dark, and who say, Who seeth us? and who knoweth us?" By Mrs. E. G. White.

In his dealings with the human race, God bears long with the impenitent. He uses his appointed agencies to call men to allegiance, and offers them his full pardon if they will repent. But because God is longsuffering, men presume on his mercy. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." The patience and longsuffering of God, which should soften and subdue the soul, has an altogether different influence upon the careless and sinful. It leads them to cast off restraint, and strengthens them in resistance. They think that the God who has borne so much from them will not heed their perversity. If we lived in a dispensation of immediate retribution, offenses against God would not occur so often. But though delayed, the punishment is none the less certain. There are limits even to the forbearance of God. The boundary of his longsuffering may be reached, and then he will surely punish. And when he does take up the case of the presumptuous sinner, he will not cease till he has made a full end.

By sad experience Miriam and Aaron learned that God will not regard with favor those who presume upon his goodness, especially those whom he places in positions of responsibility. The Lord deals with this sin as a grievous matter; for he is always grieved when presumptuous souls dare to speak against his appointed agencies in order to gratify their own unsanctified impulses. Aaron and Miriam thought that Moses had made a mistake in taking for his wife an Ethiopian woman, and they were betrayed into feelings of envy and jealousy. They entertained against him feelings that were wholly uncalled for. Moses was carrying a heavy burden of responsibility, and the Lord had appointed Miriam and Aaron to help him. But instead of doing this, they made his burdens more grievous to bear. "Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses?" they said. "Hath he not spoken also by us?"

"And the Lord heard it." God was present when the offenders thought him far away, and he answered Aaron and Miriam as if they had arrayed themselves against him. "And the Lord spake suddenly unto Moses, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle, and called Aaron and Miriam: and they both came forth. And he said, Hear now my words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold. Wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow: and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous."

Then, with all deference, Aaron spoke to his brother, saying, "Alas, my lord, I beseech thee, lay not the sin upon us, wherein we have done foolishly, and wherein we have sinned. . . . And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee." And the Lord heard him. The same Saviour who hundreds of years later said to the leper, "I will, be thou clean," removed the stroke. But Miriam had been the instigator in this evil work. Her sin was grievous in the sight of God, and he commanded that she be kept out of the camp seven days. God had demonstrated the truth by his Spirit before Aaron and Miriam. He had given them reasoning powers, and had implanted in their hearts the element of faith; but because their wishes had been crossed, they took the side of the enemy. And God signally punished them for their murmurings and complainings.

The case of Uzziah the king reveals how God will punish the sin of presumption. The inspired record states of this king: "Sixteen years old was Uzziah when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty and two years in Jerusalem. . . . And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father Amaziah did. And he sought God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the visions of God: and as long as he sought the Lord, God made him to prosper. . . . But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him fourscore priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: and they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn incense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honor from the Lord God."

Uzziah was filled with wrath, that he, the king, should be dictated to by the priests, and while "he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord. . . . And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uzziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death."

In Noah's day God saw his holy law broken and trampled underfoot by a race of evildoers. He bore patiently with their rebellion; but in the place of being softened by the patience of God, his goodness and longsuffering, the inhabitants of the old world were encouraged to still further resistance. At last the patience of God was exhausted, and he declared that he would punish men for their iniquity. "And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them from the earth. . . . And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and everything that is in the earth shall die."

When the earth was repeopled, men again lost the fear of God out of their hearts. Satan worked to array them against God. Thus he was seeking to gain full possession of the earth. He misinterpreted the character of God, and charged him with the very attributes that he himself possessed, while he concealed his own character from them. He professed to be their best friend, one who was working so that God's arbitrary power should not bring them into abject slavery. Through fallen man he renewed his hostilities to God, and triumphed in the very face of Heaven.

Through successive generations iniquity has increased, until we are nearing the time when God shall say, The cup of their iniquity is full. In David's day the contempt placed upon the law of God led him to exclaim, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law." The disrespect shown to the law did not lessen its value in the sight of the psalmist. Instead, he saw all the more need of standing in its defense; and as he saw it trampled under unholy feet, he exclaimed: "Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold." In this age men have gone to great lengths in arrogance and in blasphemous denunciation of God's law. They have accepted a false sabbath in the place of the day that God sanctified and gave to man as a memorial of creation. Their disobedience is great, and well may the prayer go forth from unfeigned lips, "It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law." The boundary line will soon be reached. The crisis will soon come, and then God will interfere. When mercy's limits are passed, God will work, and show that he is God. The Judge of all the earth will vindicate his honor, and punish the rebellious inhabitants of the earth. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Writing to Timothy, his son in the gospel, and to every young man who engages in the work of the ministry, Paul says: "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. . . . Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes. And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth: and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." And to Titus he writes: "Young men likewise exhort to be sober-minded; in all things showing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech, that can not be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you."

Young men, you have a faith of which you need not be ashamed; and you have solemn, serious work before you, in laboring for souls as they that must give an account. You need a knowledge of God, deeper, fuller, clearer, than you have ever had. You need to press forward, every day receiving grace and power from the Source of all power. You have a high and holy calling; and if you would have souls for your hire, you must take firm hold upon God. Let it be seen that you are intensely in earnest. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee."

As laborers together with God, we need to know what is required of us. Let none sit down at their ease and say, Christ has done all that is necessary. Surely it were better that Christ's sacrifice had never been made, than that it should be made to minister to sin. It is this kind of religion that makes the cross of Christ of no effect. Throw your energies into the contemplation of eternal interests. Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Respond to the operations of the Holy Spirit. Your soul will be lifted into a purer, holier atmosphere as you consider the important question, What shall I do to be saved?

"I have written unto you, young men," John writes, "because ye are strong." What makes them strong?--Eating the flesh and drinking the blood of the Son of God. Thus they grow up into Christ, their living head. "And the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one." This battle is to be fought over and over again. Be not content with your present experience. Sink the shaft deep in the quarry of truth. Truth, eternal truth, is the treasure for which you must seek with unremitting diligence. Do not rest until all that is superficial in your life is supplanted by a deep, fervent, solid experience. This will make you reliable in every place, because the Lord is your strength, his word your daily bread. Your religious experience will then give you strength to brace your mind against the counter-working influence of hereditary and cultivated-tendencies.

This fallen world is in strange hands. Men rule for hire, and preach for hire. In all business transactions there is a strife for the supremacy. If Christ should walk through the streets of our cities today, few would have interest enough to follow him. Those who act a part in the government of the world have no part with Christ, who has declared, "Without me ye can do nothing." Can they be successful statesmen who have not learned the ways and methods of the Great Teacher? The men in high positions of trust should be educated in the school of Christ. Do not shun these influential men. Men of talent and influence need to understand the word of God in its purity, that they may labor with a knowledge of what saith the Scriptures. If a man were drowning, you would not stand by and see him sink beneath the waves because he was a mayor, a lawyer, a minister, or a judge. Neither must you leave these souls to perish. Thus, while you do not neglect to do the work essential for winning souls in the humble walks of life, you may win to Christ those who can fill responsible places in the cause and work of God.

Seek conversion of body, soul, and spirit. Unfold your napkin, and begin to trade with your Lord's goods. In so doing, you will gain other talents. Every soul intrusted with talents is to use them to benefit others. Who in the great day of final reckoning will say, "I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine"? To such the Lord will say, "Thou wicked and slothful servant: . . . thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury."

The Lord is still calling those who are apparently blind to their deficiencies, the self-complacent ones, who plan and devise how they can best serve themselves. God help the spiritually blind to see that there is a world to be saved. The truth is to be made manifest to those who know it not, and this work calls for the self-denying grace of Christ. Thousands who are now of no use in God's cause should be digging up their buried talents, and putting them out to the exchangers. Those who think that they will surely reach heaven while they follow their own ways and imaginations, might better break the seal, and re-examine their title to the treasures of heaven. The men and women who feel at ease in Zion might better become anxious about themselves, and inquire: What am I doing in the Lord's vineyard? Why am I not yoked up with Christ, a laborer together with God? Why am I not learning in Christ's school his meekness and lowliness of heart? Why have I no burdens to bear in the service of Christ? Why am I not a decided Christian, employing all my powers in laboring for the salvation of the souls who are perishing around me? Saith not the Word, "We are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building"? Shall I not with God's help build a character for time and eternity, and promote godliness in myself and in others through the sanctification of the truth?

Selfishness and unbelief are spoiling many lives. The church is made weak by the inefficiency of those who should wear the yoke of Christ and lift his burdens. Christ has need of persons of genuine experience. Shall he have in his army men each with some spiritual defect, soldiers who must seek the easiest place, lest the rough path hurt their slippered feet? We are on the battlefield, enlisted for service. When the trumpet call is heard, "Advance!" do not stop to nurse your little infirmities. Forget that you have them, and move on. Where are the active soldiers, who, clad in all the armor of God, are prepared to do aggressive warfare? Where are the soldiers who are ready to lift the standard, and bear it through the battle, under the Captain's order, unto victory?

Earnest engagements must be entered into; for the Lord is coming. Away with the ease-loving indolence that holds so many from the work. Unearth your buried talents. You are under obligation to be active, diligent workers. "Whosoever will come after me," Christ said, "let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." Do not refuse to see your responsibilities. Unite in earnest work for God. Go forth to labor, carrying your colors with you.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." By Mrs. E. G. White.

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

These words present before the Christian the privileges brought within his reach through the sacrifice of the Son of God. The promises are full and broad and deep. They encourage our faith; for has not God pledged his word to combine his divine power with our human efforts, that we may overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony? While Satan is playing the game of life for the souls of men, precious encouragement is given to the one who seeks to do God's will. "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me," God says, "and he shall make peace with me."

Man has the assurance that he can become a partaker of the divine nature, even as Christ became a partaker of human nature. In Christ God pledges himself to come under obligation to mankind, if man will comply with the conditions. "Take my yoke upon you," he says, "and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." God purposes to yoke up with human instrumentalities. This must be a work of cooperation; for how can two walk together, except they be agreed? Never did an earthly parent pity and love his children as our Heavenly Father pities and yearns for those who strive for the overcomer's reward. Promises of his love and his grace could not be more abundant. And this that we might be "partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

Personal piety bears its testimony in a wise and unreserved cooperation with divine principles. The apostle Peter writes: "Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; that he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. . . . For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer. And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins. Use hospitality one to another without grudging. As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ."

"Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: which in time past were not a people, but now are the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy. Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; having your conscience honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evil doers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation."

"The elders which are among you I exhort," Peter continues, "who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory which shall be revealed: feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world."

These directions to the elders of the church are to be heeded. If God, the great Master worker, is with his servants, they will reveal this fact in their daily conduct. Among those who have the oversight of the flock of God are men who bear the stamp of defective characters. They are not walking with Christ. Their piety is not sound and healthful; it is of a cheap order. These need to learn what constitutes true religion. Religion is not a patchwork concern, which makes everything of the Christian's name, and in which self is personified. A man's religion must be founded on the word of God. Practiced in the home life, and exemplified in the church, it will constitute him a laborer together with God.

The efficiency of any church lies in the willingness of its members to learn. Upon the love and harmonious action of church members depend their power for winning souls to Christ. Therefore cherish love and confidence; for this will give you moral strength. Those who do not make the kingdom of God their first consideration soon lose God out of their experience; for he is the great worker. "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling," he says, "for it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." "Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." Let the transforming energies of the Holy Spirit into the temple of the soul.

In failing to cooperate with God, the church has lost her first love. Very many of God's professed people today do not love God supremely and their neighbors as themselves. The prayer of Christ for unity among his followers is not lived out. The principles that Christ carried into his life and work must be practiced. God has given dignity to men by giving his Son to save them. Christ allied himself to humanity that he might make it possible for humanity to ally itself with divine power, that man might love his fellow man with the love wherewith Christ has loved him. Christ calls upon men to exercise the same spirit of forgiveness, the same tender spirit of sympathy and love, which he has revealed for us. This is a debt that every man enlightened by the Spirit of God and converted through the truth owes to every other man with whom he comes in contact, be he friend or foe, acquaintance or stranger.

Jesus is inviting all who will cooperate with him. A great work is to be done, and God calls the willing ones to come out from among those who will not take their stand by the side of Christ. Who will cooperate with the Captain of our salvation? A practical religion is the life and power of the church. The only way for the church to increase in efficiency is for the members to grow up to the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. Then will their light shine in clear, bright rays to those who have not a knowledge of the truth. Then work, yes, work with all your powers, for the perishing souls around you. And as you work, pray. God is always at your right hand, proffering you his omnipotent power. Lift up the standard higher and still higher. Let your glad cry be, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The Captain of the Lord's host has gone before you. Then press on after your leader. Strike the foe like men who have learned of Christ. Handle his weapon, "It is written." Thus you can work with Christ, and even your thoughts will be brought into captivity to his will.

As we work in Christ's lines, God will break down the partition walls. He will widen before us the circle of our influence. Leading us to the mount of Beatitudes, he will strengthen our vision by presenting before us truths of the greatest importance. All territorial lines, all man-made distinctions, disappear before his teaching. Our vision takes in sinful, suffering humanity in the regions beyond. God wishes us to learn deeper lessons. He desires to lead us to greater heights, to educate us to love and obey him. He wishes to place us where we can use the talents he has given us. He is giving us opportunities to impart grace, that he may refill us with increased grace. It is by working in Christ's lines that we become laborers together with God. Do not fail nor be discouraged in the work. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." God's promise is immutable. The unfailing God has encouraged us to ask, assuring us that he will establish his word. Hope and faith will increase as the agent of God works with all the talents that God has provided.

When our intrusted capabilities are allowed to lie unimproved, God's vineyard is deprived of the labor it should have. We are to obey the command, "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." This is a duty, broad and deep, to be brought into our practical lives, one which, under God's divine working, will be a convincing power to the world. Go, laborers, go and work in humble ways to bring souls to the truth. The Lord will open the way before you. In the great day of reckoning, the slothful servant will be dealt with according to the work he might have done by putting his talents to use. Your one talent improved will gain another talent, and those two talents will gain other two. In a faithful discharge of your duty, you will acquire increased ability, tact, knowledge, and experience.

Had there been nothing in the world to work at cross-purposes with us, our patience, forbearance, gentleness, meekness, and longsuffering would not have been called into action. The more these graces are exercised, the more they will be increased and strengthened. The more we deal our temporal bread to the hungry, the oftener we clothe the naked, visit the sick, and relieve the fatherless and the widow in their affliction, the more decidedly shall we realize the blessing of God.

Every believer who takes the yoke of Christ pledges himself--soul, body, and spirit--to do God's work in self-denial and self-sacrifice. He is a partaker of Christ's joys and of his sufferings. He is imbued with his courage. The obedience that God required of Adam in Eden will be the obedience he will render to all the commandments of God. From the first hour of his belief in Christ as his personal Saviour, all his influence will be under contribution to God. He is Christ's purchased possession, and his physical, mental, and moral powers are to be constantly increasing in adaptability for the work of God.

Those standing under Christ's banners are to be united in the work. They are to be of one mind, of one judgment. As there is to be one Shepherd of the sheep, so there is to be one flock. Union with Christ brings man back to his allegiance to his Creator. It implants in his mind a love for God and for his holy law. The person who is one with Christ prays, and watches unto prayer, that he may have transcribed in his heart and reflected in his life the righteousness of God. "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth. . . . And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." Upon this all-perfect pattern he fixes his eye; and with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, he is changed into the same image from glory to glory, "even as by the Spirit of the Lord." By Mrs. E. G. White.

There is nothing which will weaken the strength of a church like pride and passion. If one engaged in the work of God does things in contradiction to another engaged in the same work, that is strife and variance. If we do this to be esteemed or to exalt self, it is vainglory, and death to spirituality and to Christian love and unity of action. Let there be no spirit of opposition among Christians. Christ has given us an example of love and humility, and has enjoined upon his followers to love one another as he has loved us. We must in lowliness of mind esteem others better than ourselves. We must be severe upon our own defects of character, be quick to discern our own errors and mistakes, and make less of the faults of others than of our own. We must feel a special interest in looking upon the things of others,--not to covet them, not to find fault with them, not to remark upon them and present them in a false light, but to do strict justice in all things to our brethren and all with whom we have any dealings. A spirit to work plans for our own selfish interest, so as to grasp a little gain, or to labor to show a superiority or rivalry, is an offense to God. The Spirit of Christ will lead his followers to be concerned, not only for their success and advantage, but to be equally interested for the success and advantage of their brethren. This will be loving our neighbor as ourselves; and an opposite spirit from this creates differences and alienations and want of love and harmony.

Oh, how out of place is all this strife for supremacy! Jesus alone is to be exalted. Whatever may be the ability or the success of any one of us, it is not because we have manufactured these powers ourselves; they are the sacred trust given us of God, to be wisely employed in his service to his glory. All is the Lord's intrusted capital. Why, then, should we be lifted up? Why should we call attention to our own defective selves? What we do possess in talent and wisdom, is received from the Source of wisdom, that we may glorify God.

Now, of the human: "He was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death." He voluntarily assumed human nature. It was his own act, and by his own consent. He clothed his divinity with humanity. He was all the while as God, but he did not appear as God. He veiled the demonstrations of Deity, which had commanded the homage, and called forth the admiration, of the universe of God. He was God while upon earth, but he divested himself of the form of God, and in its stead took the form and fashion of a man. He walked the earth as a man. For our sakes he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. He laid aside his glory and his majesty. He was God, but the glories of the form of God he for a while relinquished. Though he walked among men in poverty, scattering his blessings wherever he went, at his word legions of angels would surround their Redeemer, and do him homage. But he walked the earth unrecognized, unconfessed, with but few exceptions, by his creatures. The atmosphere was polluted with sin and curses, in place of the anthem of praise. His lot was poverty and humiliation. As he passed to and fro upon his mission of mercy to relieve the sick, to lift up the depressed, scarce a solitary voice called him blessed, and the very greatest of the nation passed him by with disdain.

Contrast this with the riches of glory, the wealth of praise pouring forth from immortal tongues, the millions of rich voices in the universe of God in anthems of adoration. But he humbled himself, and took mortality upon him. As a member of the human family, he was mortal; but as a God, he was the fountain of life to the world. He could, in his divine person, ever have withstood the advances of death, and refused to come under its dominion; but he voluntarily laid down his life, that in so doing he might give life and bring immortality to light. He bore the sins of the world, and endured the penalty, which rolled like a mountain upon his divine soul. He yielded up his life a sacrifice, that man should not eternally die. He died, not through being compelled to die, but by his own free will. This was humility. The whole treasure of heaven was poured out in one gift to save fallen man. He brought into his human nature all the lifegiving energies that human beings will need and must receive.

Wondrous combination of man and God! He might have helped his human nature to withstand the inroads of disease by pouring from his divine nature vitality and undecaying vigor to the human. But he humbled himself to man's nature. He did this that the Scripture might be fulfilled; and the plan was entered into by the Son of God, knowing all the steps in his humiliation, that he must descend to make an expiation for the sins of a condemned, groaning world. What humility was this! It amazed angels. The tongue can never describe it; the imagination can not take it in. The eternal Word consented to be made flesh! God became man! It was a wonderful humility.

But he stepped still lower; the Man must humble himself as a man to bear insult, reproach, shameful accusations, and abuse. There seemed to be no safe place for him in his own territory. He had to flee from place to place for his life. He was betrayed by one of his disciples; he was denied by one of his most zealous followers. He was mocked. He was crowned with a crown of thorns. He was scourged. He was forced to bear the burden of the cross. He was not insensible to this contempt and ignominy. He submitted, but, oh! he felt the bitterness as no other being could feel it. He was pure, holy, and undefiled, yet arraigned as a criminal! The adorable Redeemer stepped down from the highest exaltation. Step by step he humbled himself to die,--but what a death! It was the most shameful, the most cruel,--the death upon the cross as a malefactor. He did not die as a hero in the eyes of the world, loaded with honors, as men in battle. He died as a condemned criminal, suspended between the heavens and the earth,--died a lingering death of shame, exposed to the tauntings and revilings of a debased, crime-loaded, profligate multitude! "All they that see me laugh me to scorn; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head." Ps. 22:7. He was numbered with the transgressors, he expired amid derision, and his kinsmen according to the flesh disowned him. His mother beheld his humiliation, and he was forced to see the sword pierce her heart. He endured the cross, despised the shame. He made it of small account in consideration of the results that he was working out in behalf of, not only the inhabitants of this speck of a world, but the whole universe, every world which God had created.

Christ was to die as man's substitute. Man was a criminal under the sentence of death for transgression of the law of God, as a traitor, a rebel; hence a substitute for man must die as a malefactor, because he stood in the place of the traitors, with all their treasured sins upon his divine soul. It was not enough that Jesus should die in order to fully meet the demands of the broken law, but he died a shameful death. The prophet gives to the world his words, "I hid not my face from shame and spitting."

In consideration of this, can men have one particle of exaltation? As they trace down the life and sufferings and humiliation of Christ, can they lift their proud heads as if they were to bear no trials, no shame, no humiliation? I say to the followers of Christ, Look to Calvary, and blush for shame at your self-important ideas. All this humiliation of the Majesty of heaven was for guilty, condemned man. He went lower and lower in his humiliation, until there were no lower depths that he could reach, in order to lift man up from his moral defilement. All this was for you who are striving for the supremacy--striving for human praise, for human exaltation; you who are afraid you will not receive all that deference, that respect from human minds, that you think is your due. Is this Christlike?

"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus." He died to make an atonement, and to become a pattern for every one who would be his disciple. Shall selfishness come into your hearts? And will those who set not before them the pattern, Jesus, extol your merits? You have none except as they come through Jesus Christ. Shall pride be harbored after you have seen Deity humbling himself, and then as man debasing himself, till there was no lower point to which he could descend? "Be astonished, O ye heavens," and be amazed, ye inhabitants of the earth, that such returns should be made to our Lord! What contempt! what wickedness! what formality! what pride! what efforts made to lift up man and glorify self, when the Lord of glory humbled himself, agonized, and died the shameful death upon the cross in our behalf!

Who is learning the meekness and lowliness of the Pattern? Who is striving earnestly to master self? Who is lifting his cross and following Jesus? Who is wrestling against self-conceit? Who is setting himself in good earnest and with all his energies to overcome satanic envyings, jealousies, evil surmisings, and lasciviousness; cleansing the soul temple from all defilements, and opening the door of the heart for Jesus to come in? Would that these words might have that impression upon minds that all who may read them would cultivate the grace of humility, be self-denying, more disposed to esteem others better than themselves, having the mind and Spirit of Christ to bear one another's burdens! Oh that we might write deeply upon our hearts, as we contemplate, the great condescension and humiliation to which the Son of God descended that we might be partakers of the divine nature, and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust! All haughtiness, all self-exaltation, must be put away from us, and we learn the meekness and lowliness of Christ, or we shall find no place in the kingdom of God. The life must be hid with Christ in God. The anchor of every soul is to be cast into the Rock cleft for us, that Rock which bears up a ruined world. Let us keep these things in our minds.

Pride of talent, pride of intellect, can not exist in hearts that are hid with Christ in God. There would be no strivings to let self stand forth conspicuously unless Deity and humanity combined had stood in the gap to stay the sentence of a broken law. Its penalty would have fallen, without abating a jot of its severity, upon the sinful. It fell on Jesus, the world's Redeemer, to give man another trial. Then let us humble ourselves, and adore Jesus, but never, never, exalt self in the least degree. God forbid that we should foster in ourselves independence. Make haste that none of us may occupy the fearful position of him for whom Christ died in vain.

Will my brethren consider that there is no royal road to heaven? The cross, the cross, lies directly in the path we must travel to reach the crown. Those who will not humble themselves even as a little child, said Jesus Christ, shall have no part in the kingdom of heaven. If the motive of all our life is to serve and honor Christ and bless humanity in the world, then the dreariest path of duty will become a bright way,--a path cast up for the ransomed of the Lord to walk in. If we are children of God, there will be countless opportunities for serving him by active ministry to those for whom he died. Jesus looks upon the wants, the necessities, of every soul, and ministers unto them by standing close beside the one whom he uses to be an instrument to help and bless others. All contentions, all envy, is grievous to Jesus Christ. By Mrs. E. G. White.

In the nineteenth chapter of Matthew is recorded the case of the rich young ruler. This young man's tastes and desires were not offensive, but favorable to the growth of spirituality. As he saw Jesus blessing the little children, he was convinced that this must be a good man. He was sure that he could live in perfect harmony with him. Hastening to the Saviour, he knelt before him, and said, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" "Why callest thou me good?" Christ asked. "There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, which?" Jesus said, "Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

"The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?" He had been flattered for his amiable traits of character. He was willing to do good things, and he flattered himself that by his integrity in dealing with his fellow men he was fulfilling the law. The perfection of character he thought he possessed, ranked him in the same state spiritually as was Paul when, touching the letter of the law, he thought himself blameless. But no human standard can save a soul from death. God's standard must be seen, acknowledged, and followed.

"If thou wilt be perfect," Christ said, "go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." Jesus needed the cooperation of just such men, whom God had intrusted with his goods. It is God's plan that those to whom he has given money or houses or lands shall act as his faithful almoners, relieving the sufferings of their fellow beings, and in this way winning them to the Saviour.

Jesus tested the young ruler by a true standard,--the law of righteousness,--which requires man to love his neighbor as himself; and the ruler proved himself to be destitute of love for either God or man. He thought himself perfect, but he was weighed in the balances of the sanctuary, and found wanting. He was alienated from God; for he regarded that which God had given him in trust as of far more value than heavenly treasure. He went away sorrowful, because he could not selfishly retain his possessions and at the same time have the pleasure of following Christ.

"Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And when his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?" They expected the young ruler to do as Matthew had done, and because of his refusal they were sorrowful and dejected. Jesus said, "With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible."

Today the Holy Spirit works upon some who are not as self-confident as this young ruler. There are men and women who are truly converted, as was Paul. He says, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? God forbid. Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet. . . . For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which was ordained to life, I found to be unto death. For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me. Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." If the rich young ruler had seen by the light of the commandment that he was sinful; if, like Paul, he had honored God by obeying the commandments in spirit and in truth, his sinful nature would have been slain by the law, and he would have laid hold of eternal life.

"Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." A great work needs to be done in our churches. The members are not prepared for the coming of the Lord. God's law needs to be written in mind and heart. Many, like the rich young ruler, when tested and tried, will refuse to deny self, to take up the cross and follow Christ. When the test comes to a man, and he refuses to obey, he shows that he is unregenerate in heart, whatever may be the outward propriety of his conduct, or whatever belief he may claim to have in the truth. He needs to have the law brought home to his conscience, that he may see the exceeding sinfulness of sin. He must die to self. Until self is crucified, he can not know what spiritual holiness is.

The question was asked by Christ, "What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" Man sells himself cheaply when he spends his life in securing worldly advantages; for in the ambition to secure earthly estate, God is forgotten, and he reaps loss to all eternity. His money and lands can not pay a ransom for his soul. Better, far better, to have shattered hopes and the world's denunciation with the approval of God, than to sit with princes and forfeit heaven. "Ye can not serve God and mammon," Christ declares.

The young ruler represents many in our world today. God has intrusted his goods to them, that they may advance his kingdom by planting the standard of truth in places where the message has never been heard. But they do not carry out God's purpose. The words, "Deny thyself, take up thy cross, and follow me," cut directly across their cherished plans, and they refuse to obey. God's messages come to his people, but they have not been, and are not yet, willing to receive them. He is testing them as he was testing the young ruler when he said to him, "If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me." God calls upon his people to turn from the earthly to the heavenly, to yield up to him his own. Nothing that they have is theirs; they themselves are not their own; for God's word declares, "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."

There is no caste with God. Those who believe that there are certain principles to which the poor must adhere, and from which the rich are exempt, are under a fatal delusion. There is not one standard for the poor, and another for the rich. God does not call upon one to do all the self-sacrificing, while the other lives according to his own ideas and plans. It behoves us at this time to live as if in sight of eternal realities, to lose sight of self, to tear out of the heart every fiber of selfishness. If rich men keep the commandments of God, they will do the work that needs to be done for those whom Christ purchased with his blood. In this way only can they follow Christ. In order to save suffering humanity from perishing in sin, he left the royal courts and came to the earth. Laying aside his kingly crown and royal robe, he resigned his high command in the heavenly courts, and for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. When God intrusts man with riches, it is that he may adorn the doctrine of Christ our Saviour by using his earthly treasure in advancing the kingdom of God in our world. He is to represent Christ, and therefore is not to live to please and glorify himself, to receive honor because he is rich.

When the heart is cleansed from sin, Christ is placed on the throne that self-indulgence and love of earthly treasure once occupied. The image of Christ is seen in the expression of the countenance. The work of sanctification is carried forward in the soul. Self-righteousness is banished. There is seen the putting on of the new man, which after Christ is created in righteousness and true holiness. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." God is a rich provider. He is a fountain of inexpressible love; and he desires all his servants to remember that, as his faithful servants, they are to use his bountiful provisions to relieve the necessities of suffering human beings whom he has bought with the blood of his only begotten Son. By Mrs. E. G. White.

By the parable of the true vine, Christ explained to his followers the relation that must exist between him and his people. "I am the true vine," he said, "and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. . . . Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

Christ used the figure of the vine that, as we look upon it, we may call to remembrance his precious lessons. Rightly interpreted, nature is the mirror of divinity. Christ pointed to the vine and its branches, saying, I give you this lesson that you may understand my relationship to you, and your relationship to me. There was not the least excuse for his hearers to misunderstand his words. The figure he used was as a mirror held up before them.

His lesson will be repeated to the ends of the earth. All who receive Christ by faith become one with him. The branches are not tied to the vine; they are not joined to it by any mechanical process of artificial fastening. They are united to the vine, so as to become part of it. They are nourished by the roots of the vine. So those who receive Christ by faith become one with him in principle and action. They are united to him, and the life they live is the life of the Son of God. They derive their life from him who is life.

Baptism may be repeated over and over again, but of itself it has no power to change the human heart. The heart must be united with Christ's heart, the will must be submerged in his will, the mind must become one with his mind, the thoughts must be brought into captivity to him. A man may be baptized, and his name be placed on the church roll, and yet his heart be unchanged. Hereditary and cultivated tendencies may still work evil in his character.

The regenerated man has a vital connection with Christ. As the branch derives its sustenance from the parent stock, and, because of this, bears much fruit, so the true believer, united with Christ, reveals in his life the fruits of the Spirit. The branch becomes one with the vine; storm can not carry it away; frost can not destroy its vital properties. Nothing is able to separate it from the vine. It is a living branch, and it bears the fruit of the vine. So with the believer. By good words and good actions, he reveals the character of Christ.

There are many who get above the simplicity of Christ, supposing that they must do some great thing in order to work the works of God. Things of a temporal nature absorb their attention, and they have little time or thought for eternal realities. Wearied with cares that draw their minds from spiritual things, they constantly ask themselves the question, How can I find time to study and practice the word of God? Christ is acquainted with the difficulties that try every soul, and he says, "Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch can not bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. . . . He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."

Our first and highest duty is to know that we are abiding in Christ. He must do the work; but we are to seek to know what saith the Lord, yielding our lives to his guidance. When we have the spirit of an abiding Christ, everything will take on a changed aspect. The Saviour alone can give us the rest and peace we need; and every invitation he gives us to seek the Lord, is a call to abide in him. It is an invitation not merely to come to him, but to remain in him.

Christ's object in presenting before his disciples this parable was to show them how necessary it was for them to have the moral excellence revealed in his character. He longed to create in them a desire for the Holy Spirit. He reproached them for their dullness of comprehension; for many of the truths he sought to teach were lost to them because of their lack of spiritual intuition. After his resurrection he said to them, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things." The Bible now seemed a new book to the disciples, containing definite instruction. They saw that the events which had taken place in the suffering and death of their beloved Master were a fulfillment of prophecy.

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you," Christ said. In receiving and obeying his word, the disciples were cleansed and purified. Praying for them to his Father, he said: "I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. . . . Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

In no other way can Christ's disciples be cleansed but by obedience to the truth. The apostle Paul writes: "Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." And Peter writes: "Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently; being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." "Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious."

As the branch derives its nourishment from the vine, so all who are truly converted draw spiritual vitality from Christ. "Verily, verily, I say unto you," he declared, "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live forever. . . .

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him. And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it were given unto him of my Father. From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him. Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away? Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life. And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God."

Thus Christ presents the false union with himself in contrast with the true. Those who have not a living connection with Christ may to outward appearance be in fellowship with him. Their names may be enrolled on the church books, but they are not members of his body. They do not bear fruit to the glory of God. "Ye shall know them by their fruits," Christ said. "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."

Christ has provided means whereby our whole life may be an unbroken communion with himself; but the sense of Christ's abiding presence can come only through living faith. There must be a personal consecration to him. Self must be hid with Christ in God; then the grace received will be constantly imparted as a grateful offering to God. In this union Christ identifies himself with man before God and the heavenly universe. "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name." Our sins are reckoned to Christ. His righteousness is imputed to us, and we are made the righteousness of God in him. Because of his atoning sacrifice, our prayers go up to the Father, laden with the fragrance of Christ's character, and, one with Christ, we are accepted in the Beloved.

Christ's connection with his believing people is illustrated by this parable as by no other. We should study the lesson, that we may know what the parent stock is to the branch, and in what light the Lord regards those who believe and abide in Christ. Let all contemplate the completeness it is their privilege to have, and ask themselves the question, Is my will submerged in Christ's will? Is the fullness and richness of the Living Vine--his goodness, his mercy, his compassion and love--seen in my life and character? By Mrs. E. G. White.

There are those who sincerely desire to see God, and who, in true penitence, seek the Lord, that they may find him, and by his power reach the high and holy ideal set before them. With unfeigned lips they pray, "Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?" "Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts: look down from heaven, and behold, and visit this vine." "O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, and in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy."

"An angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the Lord."

The revival was genuine. It wrought a reformation among the people. They remained true to the covenant they had made. The people served the Lord all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that outlived Joshua, who had seen the great works of the Lord. Their sins were repented of and forgiven, but the seed of evil had been sown, and it sprang up to bear fruit. Joshua's life of steadfast integrity closed. His voice was no longer heard in reproof and warning. One by one the faithful sentinels who had crossed the Jordan laid off their armor. A new generation came upon the scene of action. The people departed from God. Their worship was mingled with erroneous principles and ambitious pride.

"And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and served Baalim. And they forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that were round about them, and bowed themselves unto them, and provoked the Lord to anger. . . . And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel; and he said, Because that this people hath transgressed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice; I also will not henceforth drive out any from before them of the nations which Joshua left when he died: that through them I may prove Israel, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep it, or not."

Man is prone to forget God, though claiming to serve him. The people of Nazareth thought they loved Christ, but when he showed them that they were no more the favorites of heaven than were the Gentiles, they dragged him from the synagogue, and tried to throw him from the crown of the hill. The multitudes who were fed by Christ thought they loved him, until he told them that they cared more for the bread that perishes than for the bread of eternal life. The rich young ruler thought he loved the Saviour. He had listened to the gracious words that fell from his lips, and had seen his wonderful works. But when the Saviour said, "Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me," he went away sorrowful, clinging to his idol. He loved his riches more than he loved Christ. Simon the Pharisee thought he loved Jesus, until he found that the Saviour did not esteem him as highly as he did a poor, sorrowful, repentant woman.

Many see much to admire in the life of Christ. But true love for him can never dwell in the heart of the self-righteous. Not to see our own deformity is not to see the beauty of Christ's character. When we are fully awake to our own sinfulness, we shall appreciate Christ. The more humble are our views of ourselves, the more clearly we shall see the spotless character of Jesus. He who says, "I am holy, I am sinless," is self-deceived. Some have said this, and some even dare to say, "I am Christ." To entertain such a thought is blasphemy. Not to see the marked contrast between Christ and ourselves is not to know ourselves. He who does not abhor himself can not understand the meaning of redemption. To be redeemed means to cease from sin. No heart that is stirred to rebellion against the law of God has any union with Christ, who died to vindicate the law and exalt it before all nations, tongues, and peoples. Pharisaic self-complacency and bold assumptions of holiness are abundant. There are many who do not see themselves in the light of the law of God. They do not loathe selfishness; therefore they are selfish. Their souls are spotted and defiled. Yet with sin-stained lips they say, "I am holy. Jesus teaches me that the law of God is a yoke of bondage. Those who say that we must keep the law have fallen from grace."

We must decide for ourselves whether or not these words will be spoken to us. A right decision will be revealed by action in harmony with the law of God. But we can not possibly keep the commandments without the help of Christ. He alone can save us, by cleansing us from all sin. He does not save us by the law; but neither will he save us in disobedience to the law. He draws us to himself because he has been lifted upon the cross of Calvary.

Men exalt themselves among men, and speak of what they know of higher education. If they only knew more, they would wish to sink out of sight. They may think and reason to the utmost of their ability; but were the veil lifted, they would see infinity beyond. They know hardly anything of the mysteries of God, who holds supervision over the universe. It will take all eternity to unfold his plans. Let those who think themselves competent to weigh and measure the counsels of divine wisdom be assured that they know not even the A B C of what is comprehended in higher education. When they gain even a glimpse of the true and living God, they will show a becoming humility. The sight will suggest the command, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy."

God has worlds upon worlds that are obedient to his law. These worlds are conducted with reference to the glory of the Creator. As the inhabitants of these worlds see the great price that has been paid to ransom man, they are filled with amazement. With intense interest they watch the controversy between Christ and Satan; and as this controversy progresses, and the glory of God shines brighter and brighter, they give praise to God. And yet, because finite men can discern a little of God's marvelous power, they take the glory that belongs to the Creator. Oh, that the veil could be removed, and they could see beyond their wisdom! Every mouth would cease its boasting. Men would see the greatness of the plans of God, and their knowledge would seem to them unspeakably inferior. They would never again think themselves qualified to sit in judgment on God's plans, or to arraign him before their tribunal that they might pass sentence on his works. By Mrs. E. G. White.

"After a long time the lord of those servants cometh, and reckoneth with them. And so he that had received five talents came and brought other five talents, saying, Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents: behold, I have gained beside them five talents more. His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

"Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: and I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed: thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury. Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents. For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Thus Christ by definite instruction prepared his disciples for their work. He is our Master, as he was theirs, and this instruction we are to follow. We are to work earnestly and vigilantly to prepare the way for the second coming of the Lord. There is much to be done in preparation for that solemn event. Waiting, watching, praying, and working,--this is what we are to do as servants of God. Personal consecration is necessary, and we can not have this unless heart-holiness is cultivated and cherished.

When invited to a dinner or a feast, Christ accepted the invitation. He was accused by the religious leaders of eating with publicans, and they cast at him the imputation that he was like them. The respect shown to Christ at the feasts he attended was in marked contrast to the manner in which the scribes and Pharisees were treated, and this made them envious. When at a feast, Christ controlled the conversation, and gave many precious lessons. Those present listened to him; for had he not healed their sick, comforted their sorrowing, and taken their children in his arms? Publicans and sinners were drawn to him; and when he spoke, their attention was riveted on him.

Christ taught his disciples how to conduct themselves when in the company of others. He instructed them in regard to the duties and regulations of true social life, which are the same as the laws of the kingdom of God. He taught the disciples, by example, that when attending any public gathering, they need not want for something to say. His conversation when at a feast differed most decidedly from that which had been listened to at feasts in the past. Every word he uttered was a savor of life unto life. He spoke with clearness and simplicity. His words were as apples of gold in pictures of silver.

"It came to pass," the record says, "as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath day, that they watched him. . . . And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place, and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room. But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

In his parables Christ held up the mirror of his Father's mind. Every insult shown by man to his fellow man only made him more conscious of their need of his divine sympathy. He realized the harm Satan was trying to do through the power of position and wealth. In his human nature he felt the need of the ministration of heavenly angels. He felt the need of his Father's help, as no other human being has ever felt it. He was himself winning, as a powerful warrior, a victory in behalf of the world that he had created; and under the most trying circumstances his faith did not fail. He placed himself in his Father's hands, and every insult he endured enabled him better to understand man's great need. As our substitute and surety, he felt every pang of anguish that we can ever feel. He himself suffered, being tempted.

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."

Christ's humanity made him very tender toward humanity. The lessons he gave his disciples were in perfect harmony with his announcement of his life work. We read that after being tempted in the wilderness, Christ returned to Galilee, "and he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord."

In everything Christ sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness; and that which he did he commands his followers to do. This example he gave to the human race that they might in his strength render to God the obedience he requires, and in the end present themselves perfect before his throne. He was one with the Father. His life was a fulfilling of the law, a continual obedience to God's commands. By Mrs. E. G. White.

Every Christian family should illustrate to the world the power and excellence of Christian influence. God designs that every family on earth shall be a symbol of the family in heaven, and parents should realize their accountability to keep their homes free from every taint of moral evil. Fathers and mothers should teach the infant, the child, and the youth, of the love of Jesus. Let the first baby lispings be of Christ. The father, the priest of the family, if he is connected with God, will feel a divine charge to set himself apart to the grand and elevating work of saving the souls of his children.

But the work of parents, which means so much, is greatly neglected. Awake, parents, from your spiritual slumber, and understand that the very first teaching the child receives is to be given to him by you. You are to teach your little ones to know Christ. This work you must do before Satan sows his seeds in their hearts. Christ calls the children, and they are to be led to him, educated in habits of industry, neatness, and order. This is the discipline Christ desires them to receive.

Parents, your children's future success depends on the home discipline they receive during their early years. If you have allowed Satan to discipline and control them, if you have not taken up and fulfilled your God given responsibilities, if you have neglected to seek the Lord for wisdom to enable you to cooperate with him in the work of training your children, if you have not taught them what it means to do the will of God, their lives will testify to your neglect.

The lessons given during the first years of life determine the future of the child. In husbandry, plants need constant and diligent care at the very first, that they may grow symmetrically. So it is with children. From the earliest moments of their life the children are learners. They are built up by what they see and hear, and parents are sowing the seed that will yield a harvest, either for weal or for woe. If pleasant scenes are kept before them in the home, they will become familiar with Christian courtesy, kindness, and love. But if parents are Christians in name only, and are not doers of the word, they place on their children their own superscription, and not the superscription of God. Children long for something to impress the mind. For Christ's sake, parents, give their hungering, thirsting souls something upon which to feed.

Children are naturally active, and if parents do not furnish them with employment, Satan will invent something to keep them busy in an evil work. Therefore train your children to useful work. But do not feel it your duty to make their lives unpleasant. The unpleasantness will come fast enough. Bring all the pleasure possible into your exercises as teacher and educator of your children. Encourage them to make a companion of you. Sinful impulses, sinful inclinations, and objectionable habits you will surely find in your children; but if you encourage them to seek your society, you can give a right mold to their tastes and feelings, and banish discontent, repining, and rebellion. Overcome their pride by giving them an example of meekness and lowliness of heart.

A woe rests upon parents who have not trained their children to be God-fearing, but have allowed them to grow to manhood and womanhood undisciplined and uncontrolled. During their own childhood they were allowed to manifest passion and willfulness and to act from impulse, and they bring this same spirit into their own homes. They are defective in temper, and passionate in government. Even in their acceptance of Christ they have not overcome the passions that were allowed to rule in their childish hearts. They carry the results of their early training through their entire religious life. It is a most difficult thing to remove the impress thus made upon the plant of the Lord; for as the twig is bent, the tree is inclined. If such parents accept the truth, they have a hard battle to fight. They may be transformed in character, but the whole of their religious experience is affected by the lax discipline exercised over them in their early lives. And their children have to suffer because of their defective training; for they stamp their faults upon them to the third and fourth generation.

This is a serious question, and one that should be carefully and prayerfully studied by those who have children, that they may know how to educate their little ones to be Christians. How many parents there are who are too careless and selfish to try to overcome the rude traits in their own characters lest they be perpetuated in the characters of their children. Such parents need to think solemnly of the training they are giving the younger members of the Lord's family.

The neglect of parents to train their children makes the work of the teacher doubly hard. The children bear the stamp of the unruly, unamiable traits revealed by their parents. Neglected at home, they regard the discipline of the school as oppressive and severe. Such children, if not carefully guarded, will leaven other children by their undisciplined, deformed characters. They practice deception by misrepresenting their school matters to their parents. They complain of their teachers and the rules, and parents believe their testimony before the testimony of Christian teachers who are seeking to do their duty in the fear of God. Thus the work of the teacher is made much more taxing than it should be, because parents have not the truth stamped upon their hearts. The good that children might receive in school to counteract their defective home training, is undermined by the sympathy which their parents show for them in their wrongdoing.

Shall parents who believe the word of God continue their crooked management, and confirm in their children their evil propensities? Fathers and mothers professing the truth for this time might better come to their senses, and no longer be partakers in this evil, no longer carry out Satan's devices by accepting the false testimony of their unconverted children. It is enough for teachers to have the children's influence to contend with, without having the parents' influence also.

Those who bear the message of mercy to perishing souls must themselves be under the discipline of God. The Lord is waiting to qualify men to carry his word to those that are afar off and to those that are nigh. He speaks to his people, warning them not to corrupt their simplicity and their trust in the Lord by sinking their individuality in any living person. The Lord will teach all who will seek him for wisdom, whatever their calling or profession. "Obey them that have the rule over you," he says, "and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief." Those who give evidence that they are chosen of God will fulfill these specifications. The soul that is imbued with the Spirit of Christ becomes one with Christ in his deep, unresting love for perishing souls. Christ is formed within, the hope of glory, and he works through the human instrument.

Human beings desire too much power. They desire to control, and the Lord God, the mighty worker, is left out of their work. The workmen feel qualified to hold the highest place. Let no man attempt to manage that work which should be left in the hands of the great I AM, who, in his own way, is planning how the work shall be done. The Lord says to the unfaithful stewards, Stand out of the way, and let the Lord's voice be heard. He waits not for the human voice to be heard before he works by his might and power. The message of the third angel will be proclaimed, and those who do not advance with it in knowledge and consecration will be left behind. God is the instructor of his servants, and he speaks through whom he will.

At the taking of Jericho the mighty General of armies planned the battle in such simplicity that no human being could take the glory to himself. No human hand must cast down the walls of the city, lest man should take to himself the glory of the victory. So today no human being is to take to himself glory for the work he accomplishes. The Lord alone is to be magnified. Oh that men would see the necessity of looking to God for their orders! The Holy Spirit will descend, and take up his abode in the heart of the sincere suppliant as he comes to the footstool of mercy. We are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace, believing that God hears and answers prayer. We have a great High Priest, who is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. His promise to the children of men is, "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." His dwellingplace is in every locality where men are seeking with honest hearts to do his work. "The glory which thou gavest me I have given them," Christ prayed; "that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

The world's Redeemer worked in dependence upon the Father. "I came down from heaven," he said, "not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." "Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? The words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake." "My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

The eternal Father is waiting for us to take our eyes off finite man, and place our dependence on him. Then look not to man for your light and strength. Put not your trust in the arm of flesh. All your love and praise and exaltation are to be given to him who loved you and gave himself for you. Strive to be one with Christ as he was one with the Father; but in no case exalt man, not even the ablest speaker that ever lived. Lift up Jesus. Talk of him, extol his name, and by so doing your own hearts will be warmed and encouraged and strengthened. As the believer studies the word and beholds Christ, he will become more and more like Christ. Searching the Scriptures, he will learn of Christ, whom to know aright is life eternal.

The office work of the minister is not to attract people to himself. Christ declares, "Without me ye can do nothing." Then to whom do all your words of praise belong? Not to man. He may have talent and ability, but these are only lent him by God. He is not to take the place of the great power of God, for at best he is only God's instrumentality; God does his work through him. John the Baptist declared of himself that he was not that Light, but that he came to bear witness of the Light. To that Light he was ever pointing. His voice proclaimed, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." Let the minister of Christ direct every word of praise away from self; put self out of sight, and never feel that his work is well done until the mind's eye can see only Jesus, the crucified One.

Self-esteem and self-love are eating out the vitals of true godliness in the church. Many whose names are on the church books are not truly converted. They do not realize the necessity of having a personal connection with Christ. The heart that has not fallen on the Rock, Christ Jesus, is proud of its wholeness. Men desire a dignified religion; they would walk in a path wide enough to take in their own attributes. Their self-love, their love of praise, excludes the precious Saviour from the heart; for God can not accept any heart that is not wholly his.

How many there are who are ignorant of what it means to be a child of God, an heir of heaven! They have a sneer on their countenances, and in their hearts, for the simplicity of true godliness. They suppose that they have advanced beyond such weakness. To such the preaching of the cross is foolishness. They have no experience in it. It is unintelligible to them. They are wise in their own conceits, and know not that they are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." The True Witness says to them, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see." To those who think that they have so great knowledge that they do not need to learn anything, God says, "I will bring to naught the understanding of the prudent." Those who are full of self-conceit, and think themselves wise should read the words of Inspiration through the apostle Paul: "Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. . . . Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: but God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord."

The Lord's ways are not man's ways. Our minds are often attracted to the great deeds of men; but who is it that gives to any man the capability to do? Is it not the divine Teacher? And should not all praise and honor flow back to him? Just as long as the praise of man is in your mind and on your lips, you place him where God should be. You are weak in moral power, and every time you utter one word of praise of man you become the agent of Satan to destroy. Let heaven register the praises of men. It is not safe for you to do it.

The words of the psalmist, "O God, thou hast taught me from my youth," may be true of every soul. God delights to teach those who will learn of him. The entrance of his word gives light and understanding to the simple. To all who will open their minds to comprehend the precious truths of his word, God will give knowledge that will make them wise unto salvation. We are to strike a keynote that will vibrate to every soul, and bring joy to the heavenly intelligences. Presenting the cross of Calvary, we are to cry, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." When we shall cease to trust in man, and shall make God our efficiency, we shall see the earth filled with the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea. By Mrs. E. G. White.

We are to bear the yoke of Christ that we may be placed in complete union with him. "Take my yoke upon you," he says. Obey my requirements. But these requirements may be in direct opposition to the will and purposes of the human agent. What then is to be done?--Hear what God says: "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." The yoke and the cross are symbols representing the same thing,--the giving up of the will to God. Wearing the yoke unites finite man in companionship with the dearly beloved Son of God. Lifting the cross cuts away self from the soul, and places man where he learns how to bear Christ's burdens. We can not follow Christ without wearing his yoke, without lifting the cross and bearing it after him. If our will is not in accord with the divine requirements, we are to deny our inclinations, give up our darling desires, and step in Christ's footsteps.

The Lord does not encourage the wisest, the most cherished plans of human beings if he sees that they are not for the health of the spirituality of his cause. Sometimes the Lord's purposes come in direct opposition to plans in which the human agent can not see a flaw. Then it is that the right hand must be sacrificed and the right eye taken out. Purposes that seem in every way desirable may have to be given up. The Lord sees that for the spiritual health of the human agent and for the future well-being of his cause all self-confidence must be cut away. Human wisdom and self-sufficiency must be broken down.

Men frame for their own necks yokes that seem light and pleasant to wear, but they prove galling in the extreme. Christ sees this, and he says, Take my yoke upon you. The yoke you would place upon your own neck, thinking it a precise fit, will not fit at all. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me the lessons essential for you to learn; for I am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. My yoke is easy, and my burden is light. The Lord never makes a false estimate concerning his heritage. He measures the men with whom he is working. When they submit to his yoke, when they give up the struggle that has been unprofitable for themselves and for the cause of God, they will find peace and rest. When they become sensible of their own weakness, their own deficiencies, they will delight to do God's will. They will submit to the yoke of Christ. Then God can work in them to will and to do of his good pleasure, which is often entirely contrary to the plans of the human mind. When the heavenly anointing comes to us, we shall learn the lesson of meekness and lowliness, which always brings rest to the soul.

God brings men into trying places, to see if they will trust in a power out of and above themselves. He sees not as man sees. He often has to break up human connections and change the order which man has mapped out, which is perfect in his estimation. What man thinks is for his spiritual and temporal interests may be altogether at variance with the experience he must have in order to be a follower of Christ. His idea of his own value may be far out of the way.

Tests are placed all along the way from earth to heaven. It is because of this that the road to heaven is called the narrow way. Character must be tested, else there would be many spurious Christians, who would keep up a fair semblance of religion until their inclinations, their desire to have their own way, their pride and ambition, were crossed. When, by the Lord's permission, sharp trials come to them, their lack of genuine religion, of the meekness and lowliness of Christ, shows them to be in need of the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ's command, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me," is the touchstone that discovers the quality of the experience. When a man's inclinations or ambitious hopes are crossed, he reveals the spirit that governs him.

Christ declares that the only course for men and women to pursue for their present and eternal good is to comply with his invitation. He invites all to wear his yoke and learn his meekness and lowliness. He knows that it is positively necessary for them to do this. But no human being can wear the yoke of submission and obedience who does not learn daily in the school of Christ. Whatever may be a person's supposed amiability, however qualified for usefulness he may appear to be, however righteous he may be apparently, he can not work for God unless he learns of Christ. Qualifications for true service can never be acquired apart from Christ. No one, whatever his supposed abilities, can bear the test of trial unless he is a student in the school of Christ.

Our Saviour purchased the human race by humiliation of the very severest kind. He, the Majesty of heaven, disrobed himself of his glory, and clothed his divinity with humanity, that he might pass through what humanity must pass through. He submitted to mockery, abuse, scorn, and to a cruel, shameful death to make it possible for man to be saved. He points us to the only path that will lead to the strait gate, opening into the narrow way, beyond which lie broad and pleasant pastures. He has marked out every step of the way; and that no one may make a mistake, he tells us just what to do. "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." This is the only way in which sinners can be saved. Knowing that no one can obey this command in his own strength, Christ tells us not to be worried nor afraid, but to remember what he can do if we come to him, trusting in his strength. He says, If you yoke up with me, your Redeemer, I will be your strength, your efficiency.

The Lord has determined that every soul who obeys his word shall have his joy, his peace, his continual keeping power. Such men and women are brought near him always, not only when they kneel before him in prayer, but when they take up the duties of life. He has prepared for them an abiding place with himself, where the life is purified from all grossness, all unloveliness. By this unbroken communion with him, they are made co-laborers with him in their lifework.

Christ says, "Without me ye can do nothing." As we advance step by step in the path of obedience, we shall know how true is the promise that they who follow on to know the Lord shall know that his going forth is prepared as the morning. Clearer light is ready to shine upon all who follow him who is the light of the world. Every one who takes upon him the yoke of Christ, with full determination to obey the word of God, will have a healthy, symmetrical experience. He will enjoy the blessings that come to him as a result of the hiding of his life with Christ in God. In business life he will work out the principles laid down in Christ's sermon on the mount. He will renounce the bag of deceitful weights, and will despise the fraud of tricks in trade. He will earn money, not to hoard it, but to put it in circulation. He has an abiding sense that he is a part of the heavenly firm, and that it is his duty to trade upon the talents given him by God. He realizes that he is adopted into the family of God, and that he must act toward all as Christ acted when he was upon this earth.

What a diligent, constant work is the work of the true Christian. Ever he wears the yoke of Christ. Evil surmisings are not allowed to take root in his heart. He has genuine modesty, and does not talk of his qualifications and accomplishments. Self-admiration is not a part of his experience. There is much to learn in regard to what comprises true Christian character. It certainly is not self-inflation. The true Christian keeps his eyes fixed on Him who searches the heart and tries the reins, who requires truth in the inward parts. His constant prayer is, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Compliments are not to be given to sinful, erring men. The glory and majesty of God should ever fill our souls with a holy awe, humbling us in the dust before him. His condescension, his wide, deep compassion, his tenderness and love, are given us to strengthen our confidence, and remove that fear which tendeth unto bondage. The Lord wants us to give him all there is of us, in a steady, evenly balanced Christian life, a life that illustrates the principles of his law.

Let us not endure the thought of being religious dwarfs. Let us press on, receiving the counsel of Jesus Christ, having that faith which works by love and purifies the soul. We must ever be growing unto the full stature of men and women in Christ Jesus, till we are complete in him. Christ will come and abide with every soul who will say from the heart, Come in. He loves every one who has a desire to follow him. He knows that it is the impatience and fretfulness of the human heart, and the pride that loves not humility, that keeps the soul from good. He invites us, Come unto me. Take my yoke upon you. I require you to do nothing that I have not done before you. All I ask you to do is to follow my example. Walk in the path I have marked out. Place your feet in my footsteps.

"Consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied, and faint in your minds." "Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." By Mrs. E. G. White.

Prayer is the breath of the soul, the channel of all blessings. As, with a realization of the needs of humanity, with a feeling of self-loathing, the repentant soul offers its prayer, God sees its struggles, watches its conflicts, and marks its sincerity. He has his finger upon its pulse, and he takes note of every throb. Not a feeling thrills it, not an emotion agitates it, not a sorrow shades it, not a sin stains it, not a thought or purpose moves it, of which he is not cognizant. That soul was purchased at an infinite cost, and is loved with a devotion that is unalterable.

Prayer to the Great Physician for the healing of the soul brings the blessing of God. Prayer unites us one to another and to God. Prayer brings Jesus to our side, and gives new strength and fresh grace to the fainting, perplexed soul. By prayer the sick have been encouraged to believe that God will look with compassion upon them. A ray of light penetrates to the hopeless soul, and becomes a savor of life unto life. Prayer has "subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire,"--we shall know what this means when we hear the reports of the martyrs who died for their faith,--"turned to flight the armies of the aliens."

We shall hear about these victories when the Captain of our salvation, the glorious King of heaven, opens the record before those of whom John writes, "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."

Christ our Saviour was tempted in all points like as we are, yet he was without sin. He took human nature, being made in fashion as a man, and his necessities were the necessities of a man. He had bodily wants to be supplied, bodily weariness to be relieved. It was by prayer to his Father that he was braced for duty and for trial. Day by day he followed his round of duty, seeking to save souls. His heart went out in tender sympathy for the weary and heavy laden. And he spent whole nights in prayer in behalf of the tempted ones.

Christ has given his disciples assurance that special seasons for devotion are necessary. Prayer went before and sanctified every act of his ministry. He communed with his Father till the close of his life; and when he hung upon the cross, there arose from his lips the bitter cry, "My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me?" Then, in a voice which has reached to the very ends of the earth, he exclaimed, "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit." Strength for the performance of daily duties is derived from worshiping God in the beauty of holiness. The night seasons of prayer which the Saviour spent in the mountain or in the desert were essential to prepare him for the trials he must meet in the days to follow. He felt the need of the refreshing and invigorating of soul and body, that he might meet the temptations of Satan; and those who are striving to live his life will feel this same need.

The Christian is given the invitation to carry his burdens to God in prayer, and to fasten himself closely to Christ by the cords of living faith. The Lord authorizes us to pray, declaring that he will hear the prayers of those who trust in his infinite power. He will be honored by those who draw nigh to him, who faithfully do his service. "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." The arm of Omnipotence is outstretched to guide us and lead us onward and still onward. Go forward, the Lord says; I understand the case, and I will send you help. Continue to pray. Have faith in me. It is for my name's glory that you ask, and you shall receive. I will be honored before those who are watching critically for your failure. They shall see the truth triumph gloriously. "All things, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."

The believer in Christ is consecrated to high and holy purpose. Before the service of the royal priesthood the glory of the Aaronic priesthood is eclipsed. Called according to God's purpose, set apart by grace divine, invested with Christ's righteousness, imbued with the Holy Spirit, offering up the sacrifices of a broken and contrite heart, the true believer is indeed a representative of the Redeemer. Upon such a worshiper, God looks with delight. He will let his light shine into the chambers of the mind and into the soul temple if men, when they lack wisdom, will go to their closets in prayer, and ask wisdom from him who gives to all men liberally and upbraids not. The promise is, "It shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." Christ has pledged himself to be our substitute and surety, and he neglects no one. There is an inexhaustible fund of perfect obedience accruing from his obedience. In heaven his merits, his self-denial and self-sacrifice, are treasured up as incense to be offered up with the prayers of his people. As the sinner's sincere, humble prayers ascend to the throne of God, Christ mingles with them the merits of his life of perfect obedience. Our prayers are made fragrant by this incense. Christ has pledged himself to intercede in our behalf, and the Father always hears his Son. Pray then; pray without ceasing; an answer is sure to come.

Show a firm, undeviating trust in God. Be ever true to principle. Waver not; speak decidedly that which you know to be truth, and leave the consequences with God. Bear in mind that God tests the genuineness of your desire. Believe the word of God, and never cease to press your petitions to his throne with sanctified, holy boldness. "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." By precept and example keep the standard uplifted. Your testimony, in its genuineness and reality, God will make powerful in the power of the life to come. The word of the Lord will be in your mouth as truth and righteousness.

Let all remember that the mysteries of God's kingdom can not be learned by reasoning. True faith, true prayer--how strong they are! The prayer of the Pharisee had no value, but the prayer of the publican was heard in the courts above, because it showed dependence reaching forth to lay hold of Omnipotence. Self was to the publican nothing but shame. Thus it must be with all who seek God. Faith and prayer are the two arms which the needy suppliant lays upon the neck of infinite Love.

"We are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can not be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God. And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. . . . What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? . . . I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, not things present, not things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Why do you not cease from sin? You may overcome if you will cooperate with God. Christ's promise is sure. He pledges himself to fill the office of personal Intercessor, saying, "I will pray the Father." He who could not see human beings exposed to eternal ruin without pouring our his soul unto death in their behalf, will look with pity and compassion upon every one who realizes that he can not save himself. He will look upon no trembling suppliant without raising him up. He who through his own atonement provided for man an infinite fund of moral power will not fail to employ this power in their behalf. We may take life's controversies and troubles to his feet; for he loves us. His every word and look invite our confidence. He will shape and mold our characters according to his will, and every day we shall be found asking, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"

Let us commit the needs of the soul to him who has loved us, and given his precious life that he might make it possible for us to learn of him. While lifting the cross, he says to us, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me." Christ alone can make us capable of responding when he says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart." This means that every day self must be denied. Christ can give us the noble resolve, the will to suffer, and to fight the battles of the Lord with persevering energy. The weakest, aided by divine grace, may have strength to be more than conqueror.

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" These gifts are freely given to us by God. Oh, how weak is our faith, that we do not avail ourselves of the rich, glorious promises of God! It is his nature to bestow his gifts upon us. All-wise and all-powerful, he will give liberally to all who ask in faith. He is more merciful, more tender, more patient and loving than any earthly parent. He draws us to him by endearing language, that we may have courage and confidence. We are won to him by the disclosure of the tender sympathy that flows from his heart of love. No human parent could plead as earnestly with an erring child as God pleads with us.

All things are possible to those that believe. No one coming to the Lord in sincerity of heart will be disappointed. How wonderful it is that we can pray effectually, that unworthy, erring mortals possess the power of offering their requests to God! What higher power can man require than this,--to be linked with the infinite God? Feeble, sinful man has the privilege of speaking to his Maker. We utter words that reach the throne of the Monarch of the universe. We pour out our heart's desire in our closets. Then we go forth to walk with God as did Enoch.

We speak with Jesus Christ as we walk by the way, and he says, " I am at thy right hand." We may walk in daily companionship with Christ. When we breathe out our desire, it may be inaudible to any human ear, but that word can not die away into silence, nor can it be lost, though the activities of business are going on. Nothing can drown the soul's desire. It rises above the din of the street, above the noise of machinery, to the heavenly courts. It is God to whom we are speaking, and the prayer is heard. Ask then; "ask, and it shall be given you." By Mrs. E. G. White.

God commanded the Hebrews to teach their children his requirements, and to make them acquainted with all his dealings with their people. The home and the school were one. In the place of stranger lips, the loving hearts of father and mother were to give instruction to their children. Thoughts of God were associated with all the events of daily life in the home dwelling. The mighty works of God in the deliverance of his people were recounted with eloquence and reverential awe. The great truths of God's providence and of the future life were impressed on the young mind. It became acquainted with the true, the good, the beautiful.

From this education many a youth of Israel came forth vigorous in body and in mind, quick to perceive and strong to act, the heart prepared like good ground for the growth of the precious seed, the mind trained to see God in the words of revelation and the scenes of nature. The stars of heaven, the trees and flowers of the field, the lofty mountains, the babbling brooks, all spoke to him, and the voices of the prophets, heard throughout the land, met a response in his heart.

Such was the training of Moses in the lowly cabin home in Goshen; of Samuel, by the faithful Hannah; of David, in the hill-dwelling at Bethlehem; of Daniel, before the scenes of the captivity separated him from the home of his fathers. Such, too, was the early life of Christ in the humble home at Nazareth; such the training by which the child Timothy learned from the lips of his mother Eunice, and his grandmother Lois, the truths of Holy Writ.

By Samuel the schools of the prophets were established, to serve as a barrier against the widespread corruption resulting from the iniquitous course of Eli's sons, and to promote the moral and spiritual welfare of the people. These schools proved a great blessing to Israel, promoting that righteousness which exalts a nation, and furnishing it with men qualified to act, in the fear of God, as leaders and counselors. In the accomplishment of this object, Samuel gathered companies of young men who were pious, intelligent, and studious. These were called the sons of the prophets. The instructors were men who were not only versed in divine truth, but who had themselves enjoyed communion with God, and had received the special endowment of his Spirit. They enjoyed the respect and confidence of the people, both for learning and for piety.

The pupils of these schools sustained themselves by their own labor as husbandmen and mechanics. In Israel this was not thought strange or degrading; it was regarded a crime to allow children to grow up in ignorance of useful labor. In obedience to the command of God, every child was taught some trade, even though he was to be educated for holy office. Many of the religious teachers supported themselves by manual labor. Even so late as the time of Christ, it was not thought anything degrading that Paul and Aquila earned a livelihood by their labor as tent-makers.

The chief subjects of study were the law of God with the instructions given to Moses, sacred history, sacred music, and poetry. It was the grand object of all study to learn the will of God and the duties of his people. In the records of sacred history were traced the footsteps of Jehovah. From the events of the past were drawn lessons of instruction for the future. The great truths set forth by the types and shadows of the Mosaic law were brought to view, and faith grasped the central object of all that system--the Lamb of God that was to take away the sins of the world.

The art of sacred melody was diligently cultivated. No frivolous waltz was heard, nor flippant song that should extol man and divert the attention from God, but sacred, solemn psalms of praise to the Creator, exalting his name and recounting his wondrous works. Thus music was made to serve a holy purpose, to lift the thoughts to that which was pure and noble and elevating, and to awaken in the soul devotion and gratitude to God.

How wide the difference between the schools of ancient times, under the supervision of God himself, and our modern institutions of learning. Even from theological schools many students are graduated with less real knowledge of God and of religious truth than when they entered. Few schools are to be found that are not governed by the maxims and customs of the world. There are few in which a Christian parent's love for his children will not meet with bitter disappointment.

In what consists the superior excellence of our systems of education? Is it in the classical literature which is crowded into our sons? Is it in the ornamental accomplishments which our daughters obtain at the sacrifice of health or mental strength? Is it in the fact that modern instruction is so generally separated from the word of truth, the gospel of our salvation? Does the chief excellence of popular education consist in treating the individual branches of study apart from that deeper investigation which involves the searching of the Scriptures, and a knowledge of God and the future life? Does it consist in imbuing the minds of the young with heathenish conceptions of liberty, morality, and justice? Is it safe to trust our youth to the guidance of those blind leaders who study the sacred oracles with far less interest than they manifest in the classical authors of ancient Greece and Rome?

The existing ignorance of God's word, among a people professedly Christian, is alarming. The youth in our public schools have been robbed of the blessing of holy things. Superficial talk, mere sentimentalism, passes for instruction in morals and religion; but it lacks the vital characteristics of real godliness. The justice and mercy of God, the beauty of holiness, and the sure reward of right-doing, the heinous character of sin, and the certainty of punishment are not impressed upon the minds of the young.

How can our youth be shielded from these contaminating influences? There must be schools established upon the principles, and controlled by the precepts, of God's word. Another spirit must be in our schools, to animate and sanctify every branch of education. Divine cooperation must be fervently sought. And we shall not seek in vain. The promises of God's word are ours. We may expect the presence of the heavenly Teacher. We may see the Spirit of the Lord diffused as in the schools of the prophets, and every object partake of a divine consecration. Science will then be, as she was to Daniel, the handmaid of religion; and every effort, from first to last, will tend to the salvation of man,--soul, body, and spirit,--and to the glory of God through Christ. By Mrs. E. G. White.

"Know ye not," Paul asks, "that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." Man is God's workmanship, his masterpiece, created for a high and holy purpose; and on every part of the human tabernacle God desires to write his law. Every nerve and muscle, every mental and physical endowment, is to be kept pure.

God designs that the body shall be a temple for his Spirit. How solemn then is the responsibility resting on every soul. If we defile our bodies, we are doing harm not only to ourselves, but to many others. Christians are under obligation to God to keep soul, body, and spirit free from all that defiles; for they have been bought with a price. He who defiles himself by false doctrines or by any unholy practice, is helping to defile the church; for his influence is corrupting.

How many there are, blessed with reason and intelligence, talents which should be used to the glory of God, who willfully degrade soul and body. Their lives are a continual round of excitement. Cricket and football matches and horse racing absorb the attention. The liquor curse, with its world of woe, is defiling the temple of God; but it brings a revenue into the public treasury: therefore it is legalized. By the use of liquor and tobacco men are debasing the life given them for high and holy purposes. Their practices are represented by wood, hay, and stubble. Their God-given powers are perverted, their senses degraded, to minister to the desires of the carnal mind.

No man or woman has any right to form habits which lessen the healthful action of one organ of mind or body. He who perverts his powers is defiling the temple of the Holy Spirit. The Lord will not work a miracle to restore to soundness those who continue to use drugs which so degrade soul, mind, and body that sacred things are not appreciated. Those who give themselves up to the use of tobacco and liquor do not appreciate their intellect. They do not realize the value of the faculties God has given them. They allow their powers to wither and decay.

God desires all who believe in him to feel the necessity of improvement. Every intrusted faculty is to be improved. Not one is to be neglected. As God's husbandry and building, man is under his supervision in every sense of the word; and the better he becomes acquainted with his Maker, the more sacred will his life become in his estimation. He will not place tobacco in his mouth, knowing that it defiles God's temple. He will not drink wine or liquor, knowing that, like tobacco, it degrades the whole being.

Christ gave his own life that men and women might be lifted above the cheap, common, perishable things of this world, to the life which measures with the life of God. But Satan has thrown his shadow athwart the pathway of thousands. He desires to darken the spiritual horizon by eclipsing the light shining from the throne of God. He is pleased when man uses his God-given powers in games and amusements, in selfish nothingness.

With his own life Christ has bought man, and given him a probation in which to work out his own salvation. God asks his children to live a pure, holy life. He has given his Son that we may reach this standard. He has made every provision necessary to enable man to live, not for animal satisfaction, like the beasts that perish, but for God and heaven. God is not satisfied when human beings live merely a selfish life. Christ died that the moral image of God might be restored in humanity, that men and women might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are to use no power of our being for selfish gratification; for all our powers belong to him, and are to be used to his glory. He who does nothing to glorify God might better never have been born. Those who live merely an animal life are by precept and example teaching others to leave eternity out of their reckoning.

The violation of a moral obligation which man owes to himself means robbery of God. Thus we work contrary to our highest interests, and utterly fail of representing God. The physical penalty of disregarding the laws of nature will appear in the form of sickness, ruined constitutions, and even death itself. But a settlement is also to be made by and by with God. He keeps an account of every work, whether it is good or evil, and in the day of judgment every man will receive according to his work. Every transgression of the laws of physical life is a transgression of the laws of God; and punishment must and will follow every such transgression.

A lawyer came to Christ with the question, "Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Christ placed the burden of the answer upon the questioner by asking him, "What is written in the law? how readest thou?" Before the whole multitude the lawyer replied, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind: and thy neighbor as thyself." And Christ said, "Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live." The whole being--heart, soul, mind, and strength--is to be used in God's service. What is there left that is not devoted to God?

The physical life is to be carefully educated, cultivated, and developed, that through men and women the divine nature may be revealed in its fullness. God expects men to use the intellect he has given them. He expects them to use every reasoning power for him. They are to give the conscience the place of supremacy that has been assigned to it. The mental and physical powers, with the affections, are to be so cultivated that they can reach the highest efficiency. Thus Christ is represented to the world. By this painstaking effort man is qualified to cooperate with the great Master Workman in saving souls unto life eternal. This is why God intrusted us with talents,--that we might have life, eternal life, in the kingdom of heaven.

Is God pleased to see any of the organs or faculties he has given man neglected, misused, or deprived of the health and efficiency it is possible for them to have? Then cultivate the gift of faith. Be brave, and overcome every practice which mars the soul temple. We are wholly dependent on God, and our faith is strengthened by believing, though we can not see God's purpose in his dealing with us, or the consequence of this dealing. Faith points forward and upward to things to come, laying hold of the only power that can make us complete in him. "Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me," God declares; "and he shall make peace with me." By Mrs. E. G. White.

"Now is my soul troubled," Christ declared, "and what shall I say?" The Saviour came to this world as a man, his divinity allied to humanity. He found its inhabitants under the jurisdiction of Satan, who claimed to be the god of this world. He saw those for whom he had given his life intent upon self-glorification. He saw those who should have followed their convictions of right seeking to evade the truth, which he presented to them in plain, distinct lines.

Satan rebelled against God in the heavenly courts. As no one could live in heaven in opposition to God, he was expelled. So great were his powers of deception that he carried with him a large number of the heavenly beings. With these sympathizers he came to this earth, determined to carry on the war against God. And when Christ came, he found the apostate working with the children of men, trying in every way to deceive them, that they should not obey the truth.

This filled Christ's heart with sorrow. "What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?" he asked. "Wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes?" He saw that those for whom he had labored were filled with hatred against the truth of God. For them he had stepped down from his position as Commander of the heavenly host, laying aside his royal robe and kingly crown, and clothing his divinity with humanity. Yet they despised and rejected him. They lived lives of disobedience, refusing to hear and obey the word of God. It was in view of all this that Christ said, "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say [more than I have said]?" He saw the trial before him. He saw the humiliation he was to endure at the hands of the impenitent, blinded Jews. He saw that those for whom he had done so much were soon to crucify him. "For my love they are my adversaries," he declared.

Jesus was indeed heaven's greatest gift to our world. But the treasures of truth he brought were rejected because to receive them involved a cross. The Light of heaven, he came to this world to shine amid the darkness of sin. But the people chose darkness rather than light, and the way of disobedience rather than the path of obedience. They would not heed the invitations, the warnings, and the cautions sent them. They abused their privileges and mercies.

Christ saw the retribution that was to come upon the Jews as a result of their course of action,--their rebellion against God, and their hatred of the Roman power, which they were compelled to obey. Had the Jews been loyal to God, the armies of heaven would have shielded them from their adversaries. They brought their ruin upon themselves. Christ saw them mustering their forces for the defense of Jerusalem. But God was not their helper. The invisible host of heaven was not fighting in their behalf. Christ saw the beautiful temple, in which the Jews had taken such pride, consumed by fire till it was only a heap of smoldering ashes. He saw the nation scattered. He saw its rich men despoiled of the wealth gained by fraud and disobedience. He saw the people dispersed through foreign countries, the acknowledged citizens of none, a people without any sure abiding place. He listened to the wail of anguish that rose as their children's children were hunted from place to place, always refused protection or relief. This brought such grief to his heart that he exclaimed, with tears, "Now is my soul troubled." With quivering lips he breathed the prayer, "Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name."

"Then there came a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him." Christ and his disciples, with the Greeks who had received the truth, heard the words spoken from heaven, and Jesus said, "This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out." It was Christ's death on the cross that struck Satan's death knell.

"And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Wonderfully significant words! Henceforth there would be no partition wall between Jew and Gentile. The gospel would be preached to all nations. Will all hear the message of salvation?--They will; for Christ has said it. And if they obey his gracious words, they will be claimed by God in the day when he makes up his jewels. "I will spare them," he says, "as a man spareth his own son that serveth him." All are drawn. Not one is left without conviction. Christ gives everyone evidence. But not all accept the evidence. Many show plainly that it is not evidence they want, but an excuse for disregarding a plain "Thus saith the Lord." Instead of fearing and trembling before God, rejoicing that they have the privilege of listening to warnings and reproof, some inwardly wish that light had never come to them, to bring them to the test of decision.

"Yet a little while is the light with you," Christ continued. "Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed, and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: that the saying of Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed our report? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? Therefore they could not believe, because that Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them." Whence came their hardness of heart?--Through transgression. The parable of the unfaithful husbandmen shows plainly that the Jews carried out their ambitious desires till the love and fear of God departed from them.

No greater evidence than this could have been given. Would not the rulers who had before been convinced in regard to the Saviour's divinity now believe in him and confess him? Was not the miracle he had performed wonderful enough to lead them to do this? It was indeed enough to banish all prejudice even in the most unbelieving. But the hearts of the Jewish leaders were filled with the bitterest opposition, and instead of yielding to their convictions, they were maddened because Christ had done something which they could not possibly refute. In their stubbornness, self-exaltation, and proud boasting, they would not humble themselves to confess that they were in error. "Though he had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on him."

The first step in resistance of light leads to the second, and the second to the third, until no light, however strong, no evidence, however plain, has any effect. If a man is humble and teachable, his opposition will melt away, and his heart will be softened. Christ shows him the threshold of heaven, flushed with living glory. But his glory, which softens the contrite heart, only hardens the heart that will not yield to its rays. Truth shining upon a heart determined to resist, only leads to further resistance.

"Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him." Why did they not then bring joy to his heart by acknowledging him?--"Because of the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God." How pitiful is this statement! The maintenance of their dignity was of greater weight with them than the performance of their duty to exert an influence on the side of truth and righteousness.

The Light of the world, Christ shows us the way to heaven, pointing out the advantage of treading in the path of obedience. John bears witness of him, saying, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. . . . All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, . . . full of grace and truth." "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

The time of most solemn responsibility for the Jewish nation was when Christ was among them. It was then that the last test was given to them as a nation. Light from the living oracles of God shone upon them. Jesus spoke to them, and did among them works which no man ever had done or could do. But they would not receive him. This generation is passing over the same ground. Today Christ is saying to many, You would none of my counsel. You rejected my invitation to enlist on the Lord's side. You chose to be numbered with transgressors. Of those who reject the truth he is saying, If you are destroyed, you are responsible. You would not come unto me that you might have life.

The tempter offers his flattering bribes to all who will listen to him. He tells men and women that if they obey the Sabbath command, they will lose their position in the world, and in the church. He presents before them many objections to an acceptance of the truth, telling them that their lives will be made unpleasant, that their reputation will suffer. Thus he tempted the Jews in Christ's day, and many who were inclined to follow the Saviour turned away from him for fear of temporal loss.

Christ has given his people messages of warning to give to the world. As these messages are presented, many are convinced of the truth. Then they begin to think of the sacrifice that obedience to the truth will involve. Truth makes its impression upon the heart, and is recommended by the conscience. But men begin to speculate. Why are there so few who believe this truth? they ask. Have any of the ministers or learned men believed it?

The heavenly intelligences watch with intense interest the struggle between tempter and tempted. It is a life-and-death question that is being settled. Christ knows this, and before those whose souls are trembling in the balance, he holds up the sure test of obedience or disobedience, saying, "He that loveth his life"--his good name, his reputation, his money, his property, his business--"shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal." He who hates the life which is lived in transgression of God's law, he who accepts the divine requirements, leaving God to take care of the consequences, will gain eternal life. "If any man serve me," Christ declares, "let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honor." By Mrs. E. G. White.

We should ever remember that thanksgiving is the fruit of true, willing obedience. The Lord is the object of our worship, and to praise his holy name shows respect for his efficiency. God says, "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me." "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Faith relies upon God as being able and willing to save to the uttermost all who come to him. As we speak of God's power, we show that we appreciate the love that is so constantly shown us, that we are grateful for the mercies and favors bestowed on us, and that the whole soul is awakened to a realization of God's glory.

The absence of praise and thanksgiving pleases the enemy of God. The line of demarcation between those who utter the holy name of God in blasphemy, and those who praise him with heart and with voice, is clear and distinct. He who is truly converted will glorify God as he beholds the wonderful things of his creation, the brightness of the sun, moon, and stars, the changing beauty of the heavens. To him all nature will declare God's mighty power. He will be led to give glory to his holy name.

Isaiah tells us what God is doing for us. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my Spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth. He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law."

"Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. . . . I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. . . . When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers in high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys: "I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle, and the oil tree; I will set in the desert the fir tree, and the pine, and the box tree together: that they may see, and know, and consider, and understand together, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it."

What greater encouragement and assurance than this could the Lord give his loyal, commandment-keeping people? Have we not every reason for changing our attitude toward God? Is it not our duty to show the world that we appreciate the love of Christ? As we produce the fruit of thanksgiving, we bear living evidence that by connection with Christ we are placed on vantage ground. God is the fountain of life and power. He can make the wilderness a fruitful field for those who keep his commandments; for it is for the glory of his name to do this. Thus he witnesses to Christianity. He has done for his chosen people that which should inspire every heart with praise and thanksgiving; and it grieves him that so little praise is offered. He desires to have a stronger expression of praise from his people, showing that they know they have reason for manifesting joy and gladness.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. . . . He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. . . . And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth. . . . And of his fullness have all we received, and grace for grace." As the grace which is in the soul flows out to others, more grace flows in to be given back to God in willing offerings.

We are to glorify God by keeping his commandments. Christ said: "If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world can not receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more." Feeling no need of me, it is seeking for the perishable things of earth. "But ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." How plain is the distinction here drawn between the two classes. Worldlings place their whole attention upon the gaining of worldly advantages. The mind is filled with the selfish thought, How can I secure these advantages for myself? How can I obtain more money? This is the god man worships. Men do not stop to think of the riches of which no earthly power can deprive them. They see not Christ, neither know him. They do not realize their great need of a Redeemer. They do not pray. They put Christ out of their lives as much as possible.

"But ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also." Christ is with his children, enlightening their minds and leading them to call upon him. As they do this, he hears their prayers and purifies their hearts. They see him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life. They do not walk in accordance with the ways of the world. They ask God for Christ's sake to help them, and they receive the help they ask for. They are gifted by God with power to see the love and wonderful charms of Christ. They can never feel lonely or comfortless.

"At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" Let all mark the answer. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Wonderful indeed is this promise. Do we comprehend it? When a man becomes one with Christ, he has the mind of Christ. He is no longer antagonistic to God's law, but lives in obedience to all his commandments. He walks in the footsteps of the Saviour.

But should he walk regretfully, because in his union with Christ he is called upon to practice self-denial and self-sacrifice? Think of what the Prince of heaven did to manifest his love for the Father and for us. He resigned his position as Commander in the heavenly courts, and clothed his divinity with humanity, that humanity might lay hold of humanity, and divinity grasp the throne of the Infinite. This he did to perfect the redemption of the human race. Those who receive him are adopted into the royal family as sons and daughters of God. They are made heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ, to an immortal inheritance. Have they any cause for regret?

Christ has declared that the cross which makes the line of demarcation between his people and the world so distinct is not a cross of discouragement, but a cross of salvation. Love for the Saviour will lead us to acknowledge this. God has given human beings all that ministers to their happiness, and in return he asks them to lay their gifts and offerings on his altar. Shall we disregard this requirement? Shall we fail of offering God praise and thanksgiving in word and deed? By Mrs. E. G. White.

Everything has been moving on just as the Lord revealed in prophecy that it would. Something great and decisive is soon to take place, else no flesh would be saved. The character of God will not be compromised. Under the wrath of God, universal desolation will soon reach all parts of the known world. There have been lightnings and earthquakes, fires and floods, calamities by sea and land; but who reads these warnings? What impression is made upon the world? What change in their attitude is seen? No more than was seen in the inhabitants of the Noachian world. The people are just as ardent today in their games, in their horse racing, in their love of amusement, as were the antediluvians, who "knew not until the flood came, and took them all away," They had heaven-sent warnings, but they refused to listen. By their attitude they declared, We want not thy way, O God; we want our own way, our own will. Today the world is mad: an insanity is upon men and women, and is hurrying them on to eternal ruin. Every species of indulgence prevails, and men have become so infatuated with vice that they will not listen to warnings or appeals.

The Lord says to the people of the earth, "Choose you this day whom ye will serve." All are now deciding their eternal destiny. Men need to be aroused to realized the solemnity of the time, the nearness of the day when human probation shall be ended. God gives no man a message that it will be five years or ten years or twenty years before this earth's history shall close. He would not give any living being an excuse for delaying the preparation for his appearing. He would have no one say, as did the unfaithful servant, "My Lord delayeth his coming;" for this leads to reckless neglect of the opportunities and privileges given to prepare us for that great day. Everyone who claims to be a servant of God is called to do his service as if each day might be the last.

The words of Christ have a direct application to this time: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing."

Let everyone to whom the Lord has given light from his word be sure that he makes a right use of that light. Let him beware that he does not presume to feed the flock of God with food which is not appropriate for the time. "Lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." Talk of the speedy appearing of the Son of man in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Put not off that day. God has given no man a right to say, "My Lord delayeth his coming." Let the inquiry be made, Shall I stand at the right hand or at the left hand of the Judge at that day? "Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness?"

"If that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow servants [how?--By suspicious words, by evil thinking and evil speaking. It is thus that confidence is changed to doubt and unbelief], . . . the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." It is essential that all shall know what atmosphere surrounds their own souls, whether they are in co-partnership with the enemy of righteousness, and unconsciously doing his work, or whether they are yoked up with Christ, doing his work, and seeking to establish souls more firmly in the truth.

Satan would be pleased to have anyone and everyone become his allies in the work of weakening the confidence of brother in brother, and sowing discord among those who profess to believe the truth. Satan can accomplish his purpose most successfully through professed friends of Christ who are not walking and working in Christ's lines. Those who in mind and heart are turning away from the Lord's special work for this time, those who do not cooperate with him in establishing souls in the faith by leading them to heed his words of warning, are doing the work of the enemy of Christ.

It is a most serious matter to go from house to house, and, under pretense of doing missionary work, scatter the seed of mistrust and suspicion. Such seed speedily germinates, and there is created a distrust of God's servants, who have his message to bear to the people. When God speaks through his servants, the seed sown has developed into a root of bitterness. The word falls upon ears that will not hear, and hearts that will not respond. No earthly or heavenly power can find access to the soul. Who is accountable for these souls? Who shall eradicate that poisonous root of bitterness that has prevented them from receiving the word of the Lord? A sister or brother in the church planted the evil seed, but who will restore the soul thus imperiled? The tongue that should have been used to the glory of God in speaking words of faith and hope and confidence in God's workmen, has turned a soul away from Jesus Christ. Those who themselves despised the words of Christ, and refused to hear his voice and to be converted, have leavened other minds with the leaven of evil surmising and evil speaking.

This is the day of the Lord's preparation. We have no time now to talk unbelief or to gossip, no time now to do the devil's work. Let everyone beware of unsettling the faith of others by sowing seeds of envy, jealousy, disunion; for God hears the words, and he judges, not by assertions which are yea and nay, but by the fruit of one's course of action. "By their fruits ye shall know them." The seed sown will determine the character of the harvest.

So long as the people of God are in this world, they will have to meet conflict and trouble and deception, because men choose the attributes of Satan instead of the attributes of God. There is a conscience that is not good. There are those whose words are yea and nay in regard to the same thing. How are we to deal with those who make these false statements? We should not try to deal with them. The Lord God of Israel will deal with minds according to his knowledge; for he reads the heart. The less we have to do with untruthful elements, the better it will be for the church.

Bear in mind always that the human brotherhood are not sin bearers. Jesus alone can bear the sins of the transgressor. We are to leave them with him. The conscience needs to be converted. The heart that is not true needs to be renewed, but we can not do this work. We must leave the sinner with God. He has borne long with the false tongue. He does not force men to forsake evil, and we must let men falsify if they will. The Lord is our only trust. We are to rest in him and be still. We may feel that the Lord's work is in jeopardy, through the deceptions of those who deal falsely, but we need not feel thus. We are not to think that the issue of the conflict is in our hands. Our duty is to walk by faith. In his own time God will deal with the deceiver. He will reward every man according to his work.

Jesus says, "Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame." Here is the great burden to be carried by each one. Are my sins forgiven? Has Christ, the burden bearer, taken away my guilt? Have I a clean heart, purified by the righteousness of Jesus Christ? Woe be to any soul who is not seeking a refuge in Christ. Woe be to all who shall in any way divert the mind from the work, and cause any soul to be less vigilant now.

The Lord wishes all to understand his providential dealings now, just now, in the time in which we live. There must be no long discussions, no presenting of new theories in regard to prophecies that God has already made plain. The great work from which the mind should not be diverted is the consideration of our personal standing in the sight of God. Are our feet on the Rock of Ages? Are we hiding ourselves in the only Refuge? The storm is coming, relentless in its fury. Are we prepared to meet it? Are we one with Christ as he is one with the Father? Are we heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ? Are we working in co-partnership with the Saviour?

Let all who would cooperate with God unite in proclaiming the present truth, the message of the third angel: "If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Then, as the eyes of John rested upon God's people, he exclaimed: "Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

"And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do follow them. And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud, Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe."

Already kingdom is rising against kingdom. There is not now a determined engagement. As yet the four winds are held until the servants of God shall be sealed in their foreheads. Then the Powers of earth will marshal their forces for the last great battle. How carefully we should improve the little remaining period of our probation! How earnestly we should examine ourselves! We should eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Son of God; that is, carefully study the Word, eat it, digest it, make it a part of our being. We are to live the Word, not keep it apart from our lives. The character of Christ is to be our character. We are to be transformed by the renewing of our hearts. Here is our only safety. Nothing can separate a living Christian from God.

It is discipline of spirit, cleanness of heart and thought, that is needed. This is of more value than brilliant talent, tact, or knowledge. An ordinary mind, trained to obey a "Thus saith the Lord," is better qualified for God's work than are those who have capabilities, but do not employ them rightly. Christ is the truth, because he is the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. Men may take pride in their knowledge of worldly things; but if they have not a knowledge of the true God, of Christ, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, they are deplorably ignorant, and their knowledge will perish with them. Secular knowledge is power; but the knowledge of the Word, which has a transforming influence upon the human mind, is imperishable. It is knowledge sanctified. It is life and peace and joy forever. The deeper knowledge men may have, sanctified wholly unto God, the more they will appreciate the value of Jesus Christ. By Mrs. E. G. White.

The church on earth is God's temple, and it is to assume divine proportions before the world. This building is to be the light of the world. It is to be composed of living stones laid close together, stone fitting to stone, making a solid building. All these stones are not of the same shape or dimension. Some are large, and some are small, but each one has its own place to fill. In the whole building there is not to be one misshapen stone. Each one is perfect. And each stone is a living stone, a stone that emits light. The value of the stones is determined by the light they reflect to the world.

Now is the time for the stones to be taken from the quarry of the world and brought into God's workshop, to be hewed, squared, and polished, that they may shine. This is God's plan, and he desires all who profess to believe the truth to fill their respective places in the great, grand work for this time. He desires each worker to stand forth as did Daniel, every phase of the character under divine ministration, that day by day he may be prepared to fill his place in the temple of God.

It is God's design that his church shall ever advance in purity and knowledge, from light to light, from glory to glory. "Whereunto," asks he who is the first and the last, "shall we liken the kingdom of God? or with what comparison shall we compare it?" He could not employ any of the kingdoms of the world as a similitude. In society he found nothing with which to compare it. Earthly kingdoms rule by the ascendency of physical power. But in Christ's kingdom every carnal weapon, every instrument of coercion, is to be abolished. This kingdom is to be established to uplift and ennoble fallen humanity. Christ makes his church a beautiful temple for God. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name," he declared, "there am I in the midst of them." His church is the court of holy life, filled with varied gifts and endowed with the Holy Spirit. Appropriate duties are assigned by Heaven to the church on earth, and the members are to find their happiness in the happiness of those whom they help and bless.

Through the ages of moral darkness, through centuries of strife and persecution, the church of Christ has been as a city set on a hill. From age to age, through successive generations, to the present time, the pure doctrines of the Bible have been unfolding within her borders. The church of Christ, enfeebled and defective as she may appear, is the one object on earth on which he bestows in a special sense his love and regard. The church is the theater of his grace, in which he delights to make experiments of mercy on human hearts.

The church is God's fortress, his city of refuge, which he holds in a revolted world. Any betrayal of her sacred trust is treachery to him who has bought her with the precious blood of his only begotten Son. In the past, faithful souls have constituted the church on earth, and God has taken them into covenant relation with himself, uniting the church on earth with the church in heaven. He has sent forth his holy angels to minister to his church, and the gates of hell have not been able to prevail against it.

Christ speaks of the church over which Satan presides as the synagogue of Satan. Its members are the children of disobedience. They are those who choose to sin, who labor to make void the holy law of God. It is Satan's work to mingle evil with good, and to remove the distinction between good and evil. Christ would have a church that labors to separate the evil from the good, whose members will not willingly tolerate wrongdoing, but will expel it from the heart and life.

Today, as in the past, all heaven is watching to see the church develop in the true science of salvation. Christ has bought the church with his blood, and he longs to clothe her with salvation. He has made her the depositary of sacred truth, and he wishes her to partake of his glory. But in order that the church may be an educating power in the world, she must cooperate with the church in heaven. Her members must represent Christ. Their hearts must be open to receive every ray of light that God may see fit to impart. As they receive this light, they will be enabled to receive and impart more and more of the rays of the Sun of Righteousness.

There is need of a higher grade of spirituality in the church. There is need of heart purification. God calls his people to their posts of duty. He calls upon them to purge themselves from that which has been revealed as the bane of the churches--an exalting of the men placed in positions of trust. There is earnest work to be done. Upon their knees men are to seek God in faith, and then go forth to speak the word with power sent down from on high. Such men come before the people direct from the audience-chamber of the Most High, and their words and works promote spirituality. When they come in contact with wrong principles, they plant their feet firmly upon the words, "It is written."

This age is one of peculiar temptation, especially to the self-sufficient ones, who feel no special need of guarding the avenues of the soul. Unless they heed the warnings God has given, they will most surely be drawn away from the principles of the truth. They will stand among those who dishonor the faith by giving heed to seducing spirits. They plead for the indulgence of appetite. They take no delight in contemplating the character of the Saviour. The rebuke of Christ is upon them, because in thought and action they are corrupt.

There are those in the church who, unless thoroughly converted, will crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. I appeal to every church member to inquire, Am I doing all I can to honor my Redeemer? Truth held in unrighteousness is the greatest curse that can come to our world. But the truth as it is in Jesus is a savor of life unto life. It is worth possessing, worth living, worth defending. Christ calls upon us to enter the narrow pathway, where every step means a denial of self. He calls upon us to stand upon the platform of eternal truth, and contend, yes, contend earnestly, for the faith once delivered to the saints. Paul wrote to Timothy: "Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." "Hold fast the form of sound words, . . . in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus."

As we near the time when principalities and powers and spiritual wickedness in high places will be fully brought into the warfare against the truth, when Satan's deceptive power will be so great that, if it were possible, he would deceive the very elect, our discernment must be sharpened by divine enlightenment, that we may not be ignorant of Satan's devices. The whole treasure of heaven is at our command in the work of preparing the way of the Lord. By giving us the cooperation of the holy angels, God has made it possible for our work to be a wonderful, yes, a glorious, success. But success will seldom result from scattered effort. The united influence of all the members of the church is required.

The church today needs men who, like Enoch, walk with God, revealing Christ to the world. Church members need to reach a higher standard. Heavenly messengers are waiting to communicate with those who have sunk self out of sight, whose lives are a fulfilling of the words, "I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Of such men and women must the church be composed before her light can shine forth to the world in clear, distinct rays. Our views of the Sun of Righteousness are clouded by self-seeking. Christ is crucified afresh by many who through self-indulgence allow Satan to gain control over them. The church needs men of devotion to bear to the world the message of salvation, pointing sinners to the Lamb of God,--men who, by their works of righteousness and their pure, true words, can lift their fellow men out of the pit of degradation.

With pity and compassion, with tender yearning and love, the Lord is looking upon his tempted and tried people. For a time the oppressors will be permitted to triumph over those who keep God's holy commandments. All are given the same opportunity that was granted to the first great rebel to reveal the spirit that moves them to action. It is God's purpose that all shall be tested and tried, that he may see whether they are loyal or disloyal to the laws that govern the kingdom of heaven. To the last, God permits Satan to reveal himself as a liar, an accuser, and a murderer. Thus the final triumph of his people is made more marked, more glorious, more full and complete. The words of the prophet will then be fulfilled, "The day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come." The song of the Lord's people will then be: "The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: he sitteth between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion; and he is high above the people." By Mrs. E. G. White.

The third chapter of 1 Corinthians contains instruction which all who claim to be following Jesus should study. Contentions in the body of believers are not after the order of God. They result from the manifestation of the attributes of the natural heart. To all who bring in disorder and disunion, the words of Paul are applicable: "I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." Paul here addressed a people whose advancement was not proportionate to their privileges and opportunities. They ought to have been able to bear the hearing of the plain word of God, but they were in the position in which the disciples were when Christ said to them, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye can not bear them now." They ought to have been far advanced in spiritual knowledge, able to comprehend and practice the higher truths of the word; but they were unsanctified. They had forgotten that they must be purged from their hereditary and cultivated tendencies to wrong, and that they must not cherish carnal attributes.

It was impossible for the apostle to reprove wrongdoing without some who claimed to believe the truth becoming offended. The inspired testimony could do these no good; for they had lost their spiritual discernment. Jealousy, evil surmising, and accusing closed the door to the working of the Holy Spirit. Paul would gladly have dwelt upon higher and more difficult truths, truths which were rich in nourishment, but his instruction would have cut directly across their tendencies to jealousy, and would not have been received. The divine mysteries of godliness, which would have enabled them to grasp the truths necessary for that time, could not be spoken. The apostle must select lessons which, like milk, could be taken without irritating the digestive organs. Truths of the deepest interest could not be spoken, because the hearers would misapply and misappropriate them, presenting them to young converts who needed only the more simple truths of the word.

"Ye are yet carnal," Paul declared, "for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and division, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos, are ye not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?" Their contentions revealed that they had not the mind and Spirit of Christ, that they were walking after the wisdom of their narrow, conceited minds. Their views and feelings were bound about with selfishness. They did not show the liberality, the generosity, the tenderness, which reveals an abiding Christ.

Holiness to God through Christ is required of Christians. If there are wrongs in the church, they should receive immediate attention. Some may have to be sharply rebuked. This is not doing the erring one any wrong. The faithful physician of the soul cuts deep, that no pestilent matter may be left to burst forth again. After the reproof has been given, then comes repentance and confession, and God will freely pardon and heal. He always pardons when confession is made.

The Lord desires that the soul temple shall be kept free from all defilement. "Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise,"--in his own eyes,--"let him become a fool, that he may be wise." Let him who seeks the highest place learn to think far less of his worldly wisdom, and humble himself, that God may give him the wisdom which is bestowed only when true humility is shown. The world may call him a fool, but God calls him wise; for "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." Obedience to God is of far greater value than the esteem of the world.

God's servants are engaged in one common vineyard. "All ye are brethren." Their object should not be to make a show, not to exalt self, but to convert souls, to do a work which will stand the assaults of the enemies of truth and righteousness. Let no man belittle another man's work because it is not in exactly the same line as his own. The souls for whom we labor are not to be converted to the minister, but to Jesus Christ. Let man keep himself in the background; let Christ appear. Talk of Christ. Exalt Christ. Lift Him up, the Man of Calvary.

"He that planteth and he that watereth are one," engaged in the same work,--the salvation of souls. "We are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building." In these words the church is compared to a cultivated field, in which the husbandmen are to labor, caring for the vines of the Lord's planting; and to a building, which is to become a holy temple for the Lord. Christ is the Master Workman. All are to work under His supervision, letting Him work for and through His workmen. He gives them tact and skill, and if they heed His instructions, crowns their labor with success. None are to complain against God, who has appointed to each man his work. He who murmurs and frets, who wants his own way, who desires to mold his fellow laborers to suit his own ideas, needs the divine touch before he is qualified to labor in any line. Unless he is changed, he will surely mar the work.

Remember that we are laborers together with God. God is the all-powerful, effectual mover. His servants are His instruments. They are not to pull apart, everyone laboring in accordance with his own ideas. They are to labor in harmony, fitting together in kindly, courteous, brotherly order, in love for one another. There is to be no unkind criticism, no pulling to pieces of another's work. Together they are to carry the work forward.

There are to be no separate parties in God's work. Every man to whom God has intrusted a message has his specific work, and this is to be done under the great Master Workman. Form no separate parties. In their ministry, God's servants are to be essentially one. Each person has an individuality of his own, which he is not to lose in any other man. Yet he is to work in perfect unity with his brethren. In honor God's workers are to prefer one another. No worker is to set himself up as a criterion, and speak disrespectfully of his fellow worker, treating him as an inferior. Under God each is to do his appointed work, respected, loved, and encouraged by his fellow workers.

"Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed. Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled." "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." We are to study and obey every caution in the word of God. The Lord desires all to work under His direction. His word is an unerring counselor.

"According to the grace of God which is given unto me," Paul continues, "as a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon." Others afterward bore their message, and gathered in the souls who believed and were converted. "But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon." God's servants are to use the greatest care in regard to the doctrines they teach, the example they set, and the influence they exert on those associated with them. The great apostle appeals to the church and to God to witness to the truth and the sincerity of his profession. "Ye are witnesses, and God also," he says, "how holily and justly and unblameably we behaved ourselves among you.

For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." Isaiah declares: "Thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place." Christ has been crucified for us. He is the propitiation for our sins. He is the atoning sacrifice, the true, immovable foundation. He has gathered the believers in church capacity, that they may labor unitedly, strengthening and building up one another in the faith.

"Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." It is for our eternal interest to place the right material upon the right foundation. Christ is the great necessity for everyone. It will be to the peril of our souls that we mingle selfishness with the offering laid on the foundation. We are to lay upon it material that will do honor to God. The laborer for God is to do thorough work; his mind is to be pure and clean, free from all the cheapness represented as wood, hay, and stubble. The work of those who bring their offerings to God in humility and love, depending hour by hour on the grace of Christ to sanctify and cleanse from moral impurities, bears the impress of God, who estimates our work, not according to the outward appearance, but according to the heart purity brought into it.

In the work of character building, each person is responsible for the way in which he builds. There are many in our world who teach speculative theories, rather than the simple truths which Christ taught. Everyone will be tested, to see whether his conversion is real. The pure doctrines that are taught in faith, the gold, silver, and precious stones that are brought to the foundation, will elevate and ennoble the receiver. But the teaching that is mingled with human philosophy can never satisfy.

It makes every difference what material is used in the character building. The long-expected day of God will soon test every man's work. "The fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." As fire reveals the difference between gold, silver, and precious stones, and wood, hay, and stubble, so the day of judgment will test characters, showing the difference between characters formed after Christ's likeness, and characters formed after the likeness of the selfish heart. All selfishness, all false religion, will then appear as it is. The worthless material will be consumed; but the gold of true, simple, humble faith will never lose its value. It can never be consumed; for it is imperishable. One hour of transgression will be seen to be a great loss, while the fear of the Lord will be seen to be the beginning of wisdom. The pleasure of self-indulgence will perish as stubble, while the gold of steadfast principle, maintained at any cost, will endure forever. By Mrs. E. G. White.

St. Helena, Cal., October, 1900.--Dear---: I can not at this time write much. I do not feel it my duty to write all that I could write in truth; for it would not be the best thing to do. I must wait and watch and pray. I feel that the Holy Spirit is working you who are on the other side of the Rocky Mountains. But I have not light now that I should visit Battle Creek, and I shall not do this without a plain "Thus saith the Lord." When God sees that the work He has given me will not be refused, and rejected, and His instruction misstated and misappropriated, then I shall have a work to do in connection with those who will cooperate with me in the last great work before us.

Calamities, earthquakes, floods, disasters by land and by sea will increase. God is looking upon the world today as He looked upon it in Noah's time. He is sending His message to people today as He did in the days of Noah. There is, in this age of the world, a repetition of the wickedness of the world before the flood. Many helped Noah build the ark who did not believe the startling message, who did not cleanse themselves from all wrong principles, who did not overcome the temptation to do and say things that were entirely contrary to the mind and will of God.

Have faith in God. He gave me the idea of giving "Christ's Object Lessons" for the relief of the schools. He is testing His people and institutions in this thing, to see if they will work together and be of one mind in self-denial and self-sacrifice. Carry forward this work, without flinching, in the name of the Lord. Let God's plan be vindicated. Let His proposition be fully carried out and heartily indorsed as the means of uniting the members of the churches in self-sacrificing effort. Thus they will be sanctified, soul, body, and spirit, as vessels unto honor, to whom God can impart His Holy Spirit. By this means they will accomplish the work God designs to have done.

Stir up every family, every church, to do the very utmost of their power, every one consecrating himself to God, putting the leaven of evil out of his heart, out of the home, and out of the church. Let every family make the most of this, the Lord's opportunity. Let self-denial and self-sacrifice be revealed. Let the teachers in the school do as others of God's servants are doing,--cut down their wages. This self-sacrifice will be required of us all. Let all place themselves where they will be sure to receive the answer to their prayers. It is the cause of God which is at stake.

The preciousness of life is to be appreciated because this life belongs to the Master. As long as we live, we are ever to bear in mind that we are bought with a price. Christ made of himself a whole and complete sacrifice for us, to make it possible for us to receive the gift of everlasting life. "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." We have enlisted under Christ's banner for life service, and great responsibilities and possibilities are within our reach.

There are, in the providence of God, particular periods when we must arise in response to the call of God, and make use of our time, our intellect, our whole being, body, soul, and spirit, fulfilling to the utmost of our ability the requirements of God. Just now let not the opportunity be lost. Let all work together. Let children act a part. Let every member of the family do something. Educate, educate. This is an opportunity which God's people can not afford to lose. God calls. Do your best at this time to tender to Him your offering, to carry out His specified will; and thus make this an occasion for witnessing for Him and His truth. In a world of darkness let your light shine forth.

Let canvassers do their best in canvassing for the book, "Christ's Object Lessons." Their work will serve a double purpose. They will place in the homes of the people a book containing most precious light, seed sown to bring to souls ready to perish. In receiving this seed into their hearts, they will save their souls through belief of the truth. At the same time means will be gathered for the relief of the schools. Twofold good will thus be accomplished in this work. Let it be done heartily, as unto the Lord.

My brethren, after you have done all you can do in this work for the schools, by sanctified energy and much prayer, you will see the glory of God. When the trial has been fully made, there will come a blessed result. Those who have sought to do God's will, having laid out every talent to the best advantage, become wise in working for the kingdom of God. They learn lessons of the greatest consequence to them, and they will feel the highest happiness of the rational mind. This is the result that will surely come if you fulfill the purpose of God. Peace and intelligence and grace will be given. It is the design of God that we should all glorify Him, regarding His service as the chief end of our existence. The work that God calls you to do He will make a blessing to you. Your heart will be more tender, your thoughts more spiritual, your service more Christlike. "If ye abide in me," Jesus said, "and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you." In considering these things, my spirit rejoices in God.

I could not sleep past two o'clock this morning. During the night season I was in council. I was pleading with some families to avail themselves of God's appointed means, and get away from the cities to save their children. Some were loitering, making no determined efforts. The angels of mercy hurried Lot and his wife and daughters by taking hold of their hands. Had Lot hastened as the Lord desired him to, his wife would not have become a pillar of salt. Lot had too much of a lingering spirit. Let us not be like him. The same voice that warned Lot to leave Sodom bids us, "Come out from among them, and be ye separate, . . . and touch not the unclean." Those who obey this warning will find a refuge. Let every man be wide awake for himself, and try to save his family. Let him gird himself for the work. God will reveal from point to point what to do next.

You will need to have patience with the tardy ones, who do not feel the necessity of doing anything promptly, thoroughly, earnestly. They have so much to say, so much unbelief to express, and so much criticising, that they lose the peace and joy and happiness in the purposes of God, before they can decide to move. We must become men and women of God's opportunity. I am indeed glad that so much harmonious action has been shown in striving to carry out this purpose of God, and to make the most of His providences. [Signed] Mrs. Ellen G. White.

Parents should redouble their efforts for the salvation of their children. They should faithfully instruct them, not leaving them to gather up their education as best they can. The youth should not be allowed to learn good and evil indiscriminately, the parents thinking that at some future time the good will predominate and the evil lose its influence. The evil will increase faster than the good. It is possible that the evil which children learn may be eradicated after many years, but who would trust to this? If parents could be aroused to realize their fearful responsibility in the work of educating their children, they would devote more time to prayer and less to needless display. They would pray earnestly for divine aid in the training and education of their children.

The work of dealing with human minds requires careful study. The susceptible, expanding mind of a child longs for knowledge. Parents should keep themselves well informed, that they may give the minds of their children proper food. Like the body, the mind derives its strength from the food it receives. It is broadened and elevated by pure, strengthening food. But it is narrowed and debased by feeding upon that which is of the earth earthy.

Parents stand in the place of God to their children. Their will, when in harmony with the divine will, is to be respected, honored, and obeyed. Let not children feel at liberty to disregard the wishes of their parents. God has spoken decidedly on this point: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right." "Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee." There can be no safe departure from this injunction. The parent's will, when it is in harmony with the will of God, is to be law.

God says, Take this child and train it for me. Form its character in accordance with the divine model. Parents should realize that by God's appointment they are the guardians of their children, whom they are to bring up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. They should look their responsibilities fairly and squarely in the face. Remember that association with those of lax morals and coarse characters will have a detrimental influence upon your children. Do not leave them to the evil plottings of the enemy. Guard them carefully.

The mother who has children to train and prepare for the heavenly mansions should not place her responsibilities upon some one else in order that she may be a missionary. In her own home she can do the very highest kind of missionary work. Let her enter the school of Christ, that she may learn the lessons every mother needs to learn. Let her study Christ's way of dealing with minds. Let her seek to be a true mother, a queen in the household, guiding, controlling, counseling, putting all her tact and skill into her work. Let her study how to train her children so that they will develop into well-balanced, symmetrical men and women, useful to their fellow men, and prepared to shine in the courts of the Lord. If she does her work well, she will have the privilege of seeing her children serving God through the ceaseless ages of eternity.

There are some children who need more patient discipline and kindly training than others. Their unyielding traits of character were given them as a legacy, and they need much sympathy and love. But by persevering labor these wayward ones may be prepared for the work of the Master. They may possess undeveloped powers which, when aroused, will enable them to fill places far in advance of those from whom more has been expected.

This principle should be carried out in the Church as well as in the family. The day of Judgment will show that those who have been faithful in helping the unpromising ones, so generally neglected, have many stars in their crown. Those who seem so defective may have valuable qualities, which need developing by patient love and untiring effort. Such ones often make the most successful missionaries; for they know how to help those who need help. Are the efforts made in behalf of these apparently one-sided ones of no avail?--No;no. When the right chord is touched, the response comes. Only eternity can make known the good accomplished by such efforts. When we see as we are seen, and know as we are known, we shall realize how God regards this work.

When parents become depressed and discouraged, let them not go to human beings for solace and sympathy. Let them rather take all their cares and perplexities to Jesus. By the wrong advice given by human beings, Satan leads men and women to bind upon themselves burdens grievous to be borne. Parents who listen to the advice of those that are not on the side of Christ will make a terrible failure of their work. They will fall an easy prey to the enemy's temptations.

God delivered His people Israel from bondage in Egypt. He brought them into their own land, and gave them a goodly heritage and sure dwelling places. And He asked of them a recognition of His marvelous works. The firstfruits of the earth were to be consecrated to Him, and given back as an offering of gratitude, an acknowledgment of His goodness to them. For they said: "When we cried unto the Lord God of our fathers, the Lord heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labor, and our oppression: and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders: and He hath brought us into this place, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land, which thou, O Lord, hast given me."

The Lord calls for gifts and offerings, and He claims the tithe also. He says: "All the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's: it is holy unto the Lord." Strictly, honestly, and faithfully, if possible without any failure, the tithe is to be brought to the treasury of God. With it His faithful messengers are to be sustained, as they go out to communicate the light of His word to those who are in darkness.

"This day the Lord thy God hath commanded thee to do these statutes and judgments; thou shalt therefore keep and do them with all thine heart, and with all thy soul. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice." This is not the voice of man; it is the voice of Christ from the infolding pillar of cloud. Read carefully all of Deuteronomy 26, also chapters 27 and 28; for here are stated plainly the blessings of obedience.

These directions, which the Lord gave to His people, express the principles of the law of the kingdom of God, and they are made specific, so that the minds of the people may not be left in ignorance and uncertainty. These scriptures present the never-ceasing obligation of all whom God has blessed with life and health and advantages in temporal and spiritual things. The message has not grown weak because of age. God's claims are just as binding now, just as fresh in their importance, as God's gifts are fresh and continual.

While parents are making sacrifices for the sake of advancing the cause of God, they should teach their children also to take part in this work. The children may learn to show their love for Christ by denying themselves needless trifles, for the purchase of which much money slips through their fingers. In every family this work should be done. It requires tact and method, but it will be the best education the children can receive. And if all the little children would present their offerings to the Lord, their gifts would be as little rivulets, which, when united and set flowing, would swell into a river.

The Lord looks with pleasure upon the little children who deny themselves that they may make an offering to Him. He was pleased with the widow who put her two mites into the treasury, because she gave with a willing heart. The Saviour thought her sacrifice in giving all that she had of more value than the large gifts of the rich men, who made no sacrifice in order to give. And He is glad when the little ones are willing to deny self that they may become laborers together with Him who loved them, and took them in His arms and blessed them.

Our offerings are not accepted of God unless they are presented in a spirit of reverence and gratitude. It is the humble, grateful, reverential heart that makes all offerings as a sweetsmelling savor. The children of Israel might have given all their substance; but had it been given in a spirit of self-sufficiency or pharisaism, with the feeling that God was indebted to them, and for this reason had bestowed upon them the favors they had received at His hand, their offerings would have been rejected, utterly contemned of God.

Christ has shown the estimate He places upon the human soul by giving himself up to a life of self-denial and pain and to a cruel death. He is soon coming again, and we have but a short time in which to show that we appreciate the redemption that He, with His own blood, has purchased for us and for others. Many lands that have never heard the truth are yet to hear it, and to become vocal with the praise of God. If the Church of God will now use all her talents of means and influence, the work may be carried forward gloriously in these "regions beyond."