December 21, 1897

“Editorial” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 51, p. 812.

HAVE you sometimes thought that the Lord had so far forgotten you that even if he did care for you, it was only in a very general way?ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.1

Then read this word to you: “Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.2

He has all the stars in mind; he calls them all by names; not one escapes his attention and care. Then why should you think that he has not you in mind, that he does not call your name, and that you have escaped his attention? “Why sayest thou, ... My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.3

“He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.” How do you know?—Ah, because “he telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.4

As he easily remembers all their names, so he just as easily and just as surely remembers your name. “I will not forget thee.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.5

Believe him. Trust him. “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.” Bless his holy name!ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.6

“Christ’s Word to John the Baptist” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 51, p. 812.

JOHN THE BAPTIST sent two of his disciples to inquire of Jesus, “Art thou he that should come? or look we for another?”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.1

John had proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. He had called the people to look for this coming One. He had told the people that in this coming One, they should believe for the remission of their sins.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.2

Being now in prison and shut away from personal observation of Jesus and his work, and expecting to be put to death any day, he desired to have from Jesus the assurance that he was indeed the one whom he had proclaimed. John desired evidence upon which he could, with full assurance, pass even within the gates of death, that Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the promised Saviour of men.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.3

Jesus did not hesitate. He gave at once, even “in that same hour,” the desired evidences. “In that same hour he cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.4

All these were given to John as assurances of the Messiahship of Jesus. They were given as evidences upon which a man could confidently rest his faith for salvation by Jesus. They were given as assurances that he who had preached salvation by him, had not preached in vain. And they are all just as good for these purposes to-day as they were the day they were given.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.5

One of these evidences of his Messiahship was, and is, that “to the poor the gospel is preached.” And notice the connection and association in which this fact stands: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised.” All these are considered to be great miracles. Yet in direct association with all these great miracles, and without any suggestion or sign of distinction in its character from the others, stands the statement of the fact that “to the poor the gospel is preached.” This demonstrates that the positive, set preaching of the gospel to the poor is no less a miracle than are all the other things named by Christ in this connection.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.6

It shows that the same power is required to preach the gospel to the poor that is required to make the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, to cleanse lepers, or to raise the dead. This is plain enough from other scriptures, for instance, the one which says that the gospel is the power of God; but in this place it is put in such direct association with the others that there is no possibility of mistaking it.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.7

Yet such is not the view of the gospel, that is now generally held, even by those who profess to believe and proclaim the gospel. To-day any manifestation of power that would cause the blind to see, the lame to walk, the deaf to hear, to cleanse lepers, or raise the dead, would be stared at with wide-eyed wonder, while the preaching of the gospel, even to the poor, would be counted as a very commonplace matter.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.8

Why is this? Is it because people have become so used to the preaching of the gospel that it has become stale? or is it because that which passes for the preaching of the gospel is so lacking in the essential power of the gospel that it cannot attract serious attention?—Evidently it is the latter, because the gospel, preached with the essential power that belongs to it, will never become stale; it will no more lose its power to attract attention than would the performance of any other of the miracles here mentioned.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.9

This is shown in the preaching of Jesus. It was with no display of eloquence nor of oratory, it was not with any of the tricks or enticing words of man’s wisdom; it was but plain and simple statements of truth. Yet the multitude were “astonished at his doctrine” no less than at his other miracles. It was so, also, in the preaching of Peter, John, Philip, Stephen, and Paul. Their words was “with power;” and those who heard “marveled,” were “amazed,” and were “cut to the heart.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.10

Let the gospel be preached again with its primitive simplicity and power, and it will receive the attention and have the effect that it did in the primitive times. And when the gospel shall be honored for what it really is—the power of God; when it shall be preached as the power of God and with the power of God,—that is, when it is preached to the poor; when the working of the gospel shall really be looked upon as the working of miraculous power,—it will be found once more that it will not only attract and affect people as it did in those days, but there will be seen also accompanying it the manifestation of the same power in opening the eyes of the blind, causing the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, to cleanse lepers, and to raise the dead.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.11

Yet so to preach the gospel is only to preach it with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. For said Jesus, and so must say every one who would preach the true gospel, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.12

To preach the gospel to the poor is the supreme test of its miraculous power, because the anointing of the Holy Ghost is essential to the preaching of the gospel of the poor.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.13

The gospel message is now to the highways and hedges, to the streets and lanes of the cities, to “the poor, and the maimed, and the halt, and the blind.” The baptism of the Holy Spirit is essential to the preaching of the gospel to these. Therefore, “As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.... Receive ye the Holy Ghost.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.14

“How to Be Patient” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 51, pp. 812, 813.

HAVE you prayed for more patience, and then wondered why you should find it harder than ever to be patient.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.1

Well, if you will think of that a moment, you will find that instead of a thing to be wondered at, it was the very thing to be expected.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.2

You know that the Scripture says, “Tribulation worketh patience.” That is, patience is manufactured by tribulation. It is the product of tribulation. It can only by tribulation.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.3

Do you not see, then, that when you prayed for patience, you really prayed for tribulation? because patience could come to you, it is produced, only by tribulation.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.4

But the difficulty with you was that already you had more tribulation than you were able to bear and be patient. Then was it not perfectly natural that when you prayed for more tribulation, you should find it harder to be patient?ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.5

Surely tribulation never needs to be prayed for. Nobody in this world ever had so few trials and troubles that he needed to pray for more. Yet as it is only tribulation that produces patience, to pray for patience is only to pray for more tribulation.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.6

As patience is produced by tribulation; and as nobody ever needs to pray for tribulation,—everybody has enough of that whether he prays or not,—it follows, plainly enough, that patience is not a thing to be prayed for at all.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.7

What, then, shall we do? How shall we pray when we need patience?—See whether this scripture does not suggest the true answer to these questions: “Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.8

It is power that we need to pray for. How much?—“All.” “Strengthened with all might.” It requires almighty power to be patient all the time, in this world. You yourself have realized that this required more power than there is in you of yourself. The Lord knows perfectly that this is so. Therefore he has supplied almighty power, and has written his “desire,” that you might be “strengthened” with is “unto all patience.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.9

This world is a world of trouble. “Man is born unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward.” It is easy for sparks to fly upward; indeed, that is their natural course. It is easy, also, for trouble to come; that is the natural course of things in this world. And this natural order of things, God employs to produce the virtue of patience, which, when we let it “have its perfect work,” will make us “perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 812.10

Though tribulation is essential to the production of patience, yet not all who meet it find patience wrought by it. Only in the Christian is found the true fruit of the working of tribulation. Anybody can be bright and pleasant when everything goes smoothly; and anybody can fret and complain and be snappish when things go contrary to expectation. It is only the Christian who can be bright and pleasant when “everything goes wrong;” only the Christian can bear long-suffering with joyfulness. And the Christian can do this only because he is “strengthened with all might,” according to the glorious power of God.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 813.1

It is therefore only those in whom tribulation meets almighty power, that it can accomplish the true object of its working and produce patience. Tribulation from the human side, and almighty power from the divine side, meeting in the believer, the product is the divine virtue of patience.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 813.2

Tribulation, however, comes to us daily, prayer or no prayer. Its real object is to produce patience. But it can truly do this only where it is met by almighty power. This power is “to us who believe,” “to every one that believeth.” And the Lord’s direct promise and written desire is that you shall be “strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience.”ARSH December 21, 1897, page 813.3

Therefore the truth and the sum of the whole matter is: Do not pray for patience; pray for almighty power. Never pray for patience; always pray for almighty power. And when you pray, believe that you receive it, and you shall have it. Then patience can have her perfect work, and you can be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 813.4

“Editorial Note” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 51, pp. 813, 814.

IN the preface of his new and very valuable book, “Asshur and the Land of Nimrod,” Mr. Hormuzd (Hor-moozd) Rassam speaks of “how easy it is to get on with all the inhabitants of Biblical lands, especially the Arabs, provided that are not treated with unbecoming hauteur and conceit.” This is a point worthy of all acceptation by all travelers, and especially missionaries. And the principle is applicable to other lands as well as Biblical lands. Indeed, when would-be missionaries act upon any other principle, they belie their profession, and are not true missionaries at all. The Christian principle is, “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves.” This accomplishes the utter annihilation of all hauteur and conceit, and makes it easy to get with all inhabitants of all lands, as every one can testify who has sincerely tested it.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 813.5

Mr. Rassam further remarks, “I ever found Arabs, Kurds, and Turkomans (all of whom are, of course, Mohammedans), most tractable people to deal with, and I always found them true, loyal, and most hospitable.” This statement, derived from an experience of forty years or more, we can certify can be verified in a much shorter time by any one who will constantly act upon Mr. Rassam’s—that is, the Christian—principle.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 814.1

“Rioting or Order—Which Will You Have?” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 51, p. 814.

OUR readers all remember the wild, riotous, and dangerous times last summer in the great strike in the coal regions in Pennsylvania. It will also be remembered that at one place the sheriff and his deputies, in guarding life and property, found it necessary to fire upon the riotous crowd. Some persons were killed. At that time there was a loud and savage demand for the life of the sheriff and his deputies. Undoubtedly they would have been put to death at once, had not the State militia protected them. Now, however, the militia has been withdrawn; and though the strike is ended, and the riotous passions have somewhat cooled, still there is a demand that the lives of the sheriff and his deputies shall be taken.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 814.1

In response to this demand they have been indicted for murder, and are now awaiting trial. In the whole community there were not enough friends of law and order to furnish bail. The men were obliged to buy bonds to deposit for their bail.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 814.2

Of course a change of venue will be taken, because in such a community it would be impossible to secure a fair trial; and when the trial finally comes, it is hardly possible that the men will be convicted. But the great point of interest in the whole procedure is that when it is understood that the officers who are elected and sworn to preserve the peace must not do so; and if they do so against riot and murder, they will be prosecuted for murder, then of course they will not do so. Then the rioters and the violent will have full sway, and they will know it, and will act accordingly. Then, too, the people will find it out, and will find that they are paying dearly for their whistle. Their sole dependence will be the military, and then they will speedily be brought to the choice between a military government and no government at all. Pennsylvania has made a first-class start to this goal, and there are a number of other communities that are ready to follow. The land is fast filling with violence, as in the days of Noah. And so shall the days of the coming of the Son of Man be.ARSH December 21, 1897, page 814.3