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EXPERIENCES
Of A
PIONEER EVANGELIST
Of The
NORTHWEST 
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By ELDER W. B. HILL
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Published By The Author

Chapters 10, 11, 12, 13 and 14



{p. 263}

CHAPTER X.

LABORS IN SOUTHEASTERN NEBRASKA

In the spring of 1898, I held meetings in Cheney, a little town about seven miles from home, with indifferent success. Some evil-disposed persons stopped the stove pipe with old rags and perpetrated the stale-egg act, smearing some very nice laprobes with them, and altogether it proved to be an unprofitable field. During the summer I held tent meetings at Arlington and York with Elders Thompson and Johnson. We saw some fruit of our labors at the latter place. We labored hard and earnestly, but the results were not as rich as we greatly desired them to be. Why do people reject the blessed saving truth for this time! But so it has ever been. Noah's message of mercy and warning was despised and rejected. The prophets were rejected and slain. Christ came unto His own, and His own received Him not. And so it is in the last days. "They shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables." 2Tim. 4: 4. At the State camp meeting, which was held at York that year, it was decided that Brother W. J. Wilson and I should labor together in the southeast corner of Nebraska, including Lincoln and College View. In February 1899, I went as a delegate from Nebraska to the General Conference, which was held at South Lancaster, Mass. We had a terrible storm on our journey, and laid up about sixteen hours at Springfield, Mass. It was such a storm as was never known by the oldest inhabitants. The railroad employees made us as comfortable as they could under the circumstances, and we took our difficulties, sang hymns, and held praise service, and murmured not. The General Conference was a good one. The good Spirit of God was present in a marked manner from the first. As delegates from all parts of the world reported the progress of the great threefold warning message, our hearts were stirred within us. It was a time of heart searching and refreshing coming down from the Father above, and we {p. 264} returned home with renewed zeal to publish the glad tidings of the soon-coming King, in all the earth.

In July, 1898 our oldest daughter, Ella May, was united in marriage to C. P. Nelson, son of N. P. Nelson, presdent of our conference, and, in the following November our second daughter, Nellie Elizabeth, was united in marriage to Prof. C. R. Kite.

In the summer of 1899, we pitched our tent at Cortland, Neb. Our tent company consisted of my son-in-law, C. R. Kite, and wife, W. J. Wilson, Miss May James, and myself. We had quite an experience in getting started. Our center pole proved to be too short, and we had to splice it. Then it rained, and made a low place under the tent very muddy, and we carried sods, and covered it nicely, making a beautiful carpet of green. Our first night Brother Kite and I were alone in our family tent, and the winds blew, the lightning flashed, the thunder pealed, and the rain descended and beat upon our frail cotton dwelling place. Some of the stakes pulled up by reason of the fierceness of the gale, and the tent was going flippity flop in the wind, and nothing else would do but to rush out into the storm with sledge and stakes, and pin the tent more firmly to the bosom of mother earth, and so prevent its taking its departure to parts unknown. But such experiences are common to gospel tent workers on the prairies of the West. I have gone out in the dark and stormy night, and held on to the tent with all my strength to prevent its blowing away from the wife and babies who were taking shelter under it.

Brother Wilson and I occupied a tent at Cortland by ourselves. He slept in a fine steel hammock, of which he was quite proud, while I occupied a cot. One night I awoke with my nether extremities feeling very cold. I reached my hand down there, and found I was lying in a pool of water. I looked around for Brother Wilson, and found him sitting up in his hammock with bedclothes thrown over his head, doing his best to keep dry, and the rain was coming down through the tent to beat all. The only thing to do was to seek out the dryest spot and shield myself with the bedclothes the best I could until the storm was over. In some storms the tent poles will snap, crack, and break into pieces; but the faithful toilers for Christ endure it all, and murmur not, remembering our loving {p. 265} Saviour, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12: 2. We also have respect unto the recompense of the reward. Heb. 11: 26. "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Ps. 126: 6.

As usual, preaching the truth stirred up opposition, and one Elder Richards, a Baptist minister, came from abroad, and did what he could to show that the ten commandments, Sabbath and all, had ceased to be obligatory upon the people in the gospel age. That Sunday evening as I came to the tent I found it full, and Brother Kite and Brother Wilson seemed to be somewhat excited over the report that Elder Richards was to speak against the Sabbath in the Baptist church. We soon decided that Brother Kite should go and take notes of the discourse, and announce a reply the following evening.

The reverend gentleman gave our people and work a great scorching. It was the first time that Brother Kite was ever under fire. I was informed by those present that when he arose to announce a reply, his face was pale as death, but he bravely did his duty, just the same.

After the discourse a Mrs. Woolsey asked the minister if she understood him correctly that the ten commandments were a yoke of bondage, done away, and no longer binding on Christians. He replied in the affirmative. "Well," she said, "that relieves me of a good deal of work. I taught my two older children the ten commandments, and it took time and effort to do so, and now our youngest son, Arthur, is old enough to be taught, and I was just about to begin to teach him; but if what you teach is true, that to keep them is bondage, it will be doing the child a great injury to instill the principles of the ten commandments into his mind, as it would be wrong to lead his soul into bondage." And so it certainly would be. The above is the substance of the conversation as reported to me by the good lady herself. After all, I believe I would prefer to cast my lot with those who love the ten commandments and obey their holy teachings rather than with those who feel that it is Christian liberty to break them and teach others to do the same. "Great peace have they that love thy law; and nothing {p. 266} shall offend them." Ps. 119: 165. "O that thou hadst hearkened unto my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea." Isa. 48: 18. "If ye love me, keep my commandments," said the Lord Jesus [John 14: 15], and Paul declared that he delighted in the law of God after the inward man. Rom. 7: 22. It is only the carnal mind that finds bondage in the law of the Lord. See Rom. 8: 7.

Monday night the tent was crowded to hear the reply, the minister also being present. It was shown in reply that Christ said, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Mark 7: 7.

Now we know that Sunday keeping has been commanded by men, by emperors, popes, and worldly rulers; but where has God commanded it? If God has not commanded it, it is, according to the word of Christ, vain worship. If God has commanded Sunday observance some Christian in this congregation can point us to that God-given command. Any person in the audience that can read such a command in the Bible will please raise his hand. It was a moment of intense interest. The minister raised his hand. "I will sit down," said the speaker, "while the brother reads the divine precept requiring Sunday observance." He arose, and all eyes were upon him. He rustled the leaves of his Bible awhile, and then began to read. He soon stopped, and said, "If it is a command you want, this is not it," and sat down. Of course not. He could find no such command, neither can anybody, Jew or Gentile, saint or sinner, to keep the first day of the week as the Sabbath. It follows that Sunday observance is vain worship, being commanded of men, and not of God. As our brethren admit there is no divine law requiring Sunday sacredness, it also follows that there is no sin in not sacredly observing it. For sin is the transgression of the law [1John 3: 4], and "where no law is, there is no transgression." Rom. 4: 15. As we showed that the argument against God's holy Sabbath and law were unprofitable and vain, there was considerable excitement in the meeting, so much that the good school professor felt called upon to say something for Sunday; but all he was able to make out was to tell us what he believed. As he presented no "Thus {p. 267} saith the Lord," it only confirmed some in the belief that there is no "Thus saith the Lord" for Sunday keeping. We had hopes that a large company would be obedient to the faith, among whom were Mr. and Mrs. Young, for whom we felt a great interest; but for some reason they turned away from the holy commandment delivered unto them. However, some took a noble stand to obey God. A building was bought, and remodeled so that it made a comfortable church. It is free from debt, and it stands in the town as a witness to the truth that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God. It takes moral courage and faith in God to stand in opposition to the whole world. Moral weaklings and the worldly minded will not do so. May the little band drink often and deep of that everlasting life. John 4: 13, 14.

During the winter of 1899- 1900, I held meetings at Sprague and other places. I made some very agreeable acquaintances, among whom were the doctor and his family at Sprague, who were very kind to me. Also a Mr. Englebrecht and family. I had great hopes that they would go with us to the Celestial City, but they have not yet started to run the heavenly race. Brother Sebastian Cook, Arnold Egger, and other kind friends made me welcome to their homes. May their rest be rich and their reward glorious. Near Sprague a teacher and wife, Hollingsworth by name, accepted Christ. I hope they will remain true and faithful.

During the winter I was twice quite rudely treated. I went into a house one day, and the matron, a powerful woman, with a sharp tongue, known in the neighborhood by the name of Mrs. Stickelmyer, gave me a great scolding, called me a thief, and other hard epithets were hurled at me in a perfect storm. "I am not aware, madam, that I am a thief. I supposed that I was honest. I know that is my desire and intention, anyway." "Our minister depends on his church members for his living, and you come around, and get them away from him, and in that way you steal his bread from him and his children." The same old cry, "By this craft we have our wealth [or living]." Acts 19: 25. Must the people be left in darkness {p. 268} that the preachers may have a fat living? She scolded me and my people so severely that I finally asked her if she were a Christian. She replied in the affirmative. Then I said, "You love everybody, don't you?" Yes, sir. I do." "Then you love the poor Adventist also?" "No, I don't," she exclaimed, with so much energy and vigor that I thought it best not to prolong my visit, so shaking her hand kindly, I sought a more promising field of labor. Her minister invited me to come to his church the next Sunday, and he would give the reasons for his faith, and then I should give my reasons for the faith that is in me, I thought to do so in a kindly way might be productive of good, so I accepted his invitation, and went. There was a large congregation of interested people. The talk was to be in German. I found he was very much excited. His plan was to ask me questions, and I was to answer yes or no without being allowed to read any scripture in proof of my position. That was not my way of presenting my faith. I always presented the scriptural reason for what I believed. As that right was refused me, I sat quietly listening to his harangue, and said nothing. At last he cried out, "why don't you answer my questions?" I said, "Give me gelegenheit--- opportunity--- and I will answer them." "You have opportunity," he shouted. "Then I will take it," and so saying, I took my English and German Bibles, and went into his holy place, or kanzel, as he called it, where he was. It fairly made him wild. He walked up and down and roared like a lion. He informed me I ought to go to Africa, and not preach in a country where there were already so many good preachers; while it occurred to me that I was rather too old to go so far away, and into such a wild land. I much preferred to stay in Nebraska, and let some younger herald of the cross bear the gospel message to the untamed heathen. Some of his members were so amazed at his unfair, ungentlemanly course that they left the house in disgust. The uproar became so great that a Sister Koch, who was standing outside, rushed in to protect me, fearing from the outcry that I was in great danger. A poor, little frail woman she was, like a dove among hawks, or a lamb among lions. It proved that there was more noise than danger. The storm abated, and I replied to a full house that evening. Surely a people who will act as they did, need {p. 269} the gospel of Jesus, the gospel of love and good will, as much as the wild men in the jungles of the dark continent.

The summer of 1900, Brethren C. R. Kite, wife and baby, G. L. Fowler, and Sister Rose James, and myself composed our gospel tent company. We selected Sterling, a town of about twelve hundred inhabitants, as our field of labor. We rented a house to live in, which was much more comfortable than living in a tent. Brother Fowler and I went ahead, and pitched our tabernacle. The first night there arose a terrific storm of wind and rain. We got up, and ran for the tent; but before we reached it, the wind had struck it with terrible force. Some of the stakes were pulled up, and being still attached to the ropes, were flying in the air like so many flails in the hands of giants. One of the large center poles snapped in twain, and the tent came down with a crash, and the next day was spent in repairing damages. After this a small cyclone struck us, and destroyed things worse than before. Notwithstanding all drawbacks, we had quite an interest in our meetings, which increased greatly when we came to the Sabbath question. Brother Richards, who tried to destroy our interest at Cortland the previous summer, was now pastor of the Baptist church at Sterling. One evening as I was speaking, he kept interrupting continually. We told him that two speakers could not profitably occupy the same time, and if he felt he owed the people a duty on this question, we would give him the use of the tent any evening he might choose. He chose the next evening, and as usual, he gave us a great scolding. We were in hopes that as we were so friendly as to furnish the tent all lighted up, free of charge, that he would treat us with kindness and courtesy; but it seems that the advocates of Sunday sacredness find it very hard to do this. They are, generally speaking, pleasant, genial people; but searching for Bible evidence for Sunday sacredness seems to sour their tempers, and too often they become bitter in their feelings toward seventh-day observers, and as out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh, their remarks are very apt to have a flavor of bitterness also. I can only account for this on the supposition that it is irritating to them to discover that there is no divine authority for this Sunday idol which they have set up. Of course we took his scolding very kindly, knowing that he could {p. 270} do much better at scolding than he could at finding scriptural authority for Sunday sacredness; and, of course, it is permissible for a man to do the best he can. I always pity the poor mortal that undertakes to find the divine precept requiring Sunday observance, knowing that he would be far more successful in hunting for the proverbial needle in a haystack. At any rate, Brother Richards' feelings were wrought up to such a pitch that they had not subsided by the next evening; for he interrupted more than ever. In this interruption he was joined by a very gentlemanly, talented young Disciple, or Christian, minister by the name of Maxwell. They carried the interruption to such a height that a gentleman by the name of Rogers arose, and requested them to refrain, stating that he came to hear Elder Hill, and would like to have the privilege of doing so. This shamed Brother Maxwell into silence, but not Brother Richards. He said it was very hard to keep still. Of course, it is very hard for a man to keep still when he sees his foundation slipping from under his feet. At last, despairing of his ceasing to interrupt me, I said to him, "Brother Richards, if you cannot keep quiet please keep as quiet as you can." The meeting was large and the interest high, so much so that a Spiritualist arose in the meeting, and pointing to the law of God, said, "We have nothing to do with that law. We have a new commandment now. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," and sat down. What a union! Spiritism, Baptism, and Discipleism, all united in trying to put down God's holy law of ten commandments, and all, of course, led by the same spirit. What a spectacle to men and angels! We said, "I am not aware that this is a new commandment, I supposed that it is as old, at least, as `the days of Moses. Brother Maxwell, is not this command found in the Old Testament?" He did not say yes or no, but asked me to read it if it were there. So we read in Lev. 19: 18, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." Then I exhorted them to study their Bibles more carefully, and not make such sorry mistakes in the future as to suppose that this is a new commandment, when it is surely found in the Old Testament Scriptures. Brother Maxwell was so stirred up after that meeting he talked to me in a loud and disrespectful manner, calling me Hill, etc. I said to him. "Brother Maxwell, why don't you call me Brother Hill? Don't you {p. 273} know I like to be called Brother?" I patted him on the shoulder, and said to him, "You are excited now; go home and have a good night's sleep, preach a good sermon tomorrow, and I will come and hear you."

Why were those brother ministers so forgetful of courtesy and the law of brotherly kindness?---Because they were fighting the Lord's truth. The warfare against the commandments of God is foretold in Rev. 12: 17, "The dragon [the devil] was wroth with a woman [the church], and went to make war with the remnant [last part] of her seed [children] which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Here it is plainly laid out before us that because of keeping the commandments of God the remnant church will suffer persecution. Why so? It is certain that any person may preach and practice nine of those ten commandments, and not stir up any opposition whatever; but let him preach and practice that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and the warfare begins immediately. All the artillery of the prince of darkness is brought to bear on the commandments of God and those who keep them. This warfare will go on until every soul is tested, and all the world will be ranged up, on the side of the commandments of the Lord or against him.

Dear reader, on which side of this controversy will you stand? A doctor Sherman and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers, and others accepted the message. Sabbath school and meetings were established, and thus a light was kindled in that place, which we hope will shine brighter and brighter until the Lord comes. One Dr. Neff began attending our meetings quite regularly, and we hoped he would join himself to the Lord, and serve Him; but we soon discovered that our organist, a charming young lady, had greater attractions for him than the truth of the gospel. We tried our best to preserve our song bird, but the genial doctor and the darts of cupid were more powerful than we. We hope she will succeed in leading him to Christ and heaven, but we fear that the leading may be the other way. "Be not unequally yoked together" is the Lord's way, and we are sure that this is the safest and best way. We as a tent company learned the thirty-fourth psalm by heart, which begins, "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth." Brother Kite had a very nice new Bible, which he {p. 274} valued very highly, and one day a little boy came into his room, and thrust a stick between the leaves of it, and vigorously drew it back and forth. Brother Kite began to feel angry, as he saw the ruin that was wrought; but all at once it flashed into his mind: "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth," and it took the ugly feelings all away. "Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee." Ps. 119: 11. That is the way to keep from sin. Have the heart full of the word of God.

In August we removed our tent into the country near Brother Mason's, about seven miles from Tecumseh, and held some meetings there.

We had quite an interest. A few accepted Christ and His commandments; a Sabbath school and meetings were established, and Brother and Sister Ferris, with others, are zealous in the truth, and are shining lights in that neighborhood. May the Lord bless the little flock there. and all the interested ones that have not yet come into the fullness of gospel light and blessing. At our State camp meeting that year I was transferred from southeastern to northeastern Nebraska. I loved the dear brethren in my old district, and our relations together were of the most cordial and pleasant character. "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity." Ps. 133: 1.

ON HIGHER GROUND

When cheerless valley fogs of night
Shut out the arch of blue
That all the perfect summer day
Has promised joy to you;
Remember that the mountain-top
With clearer air is crowned;
Then onward march with folded tent,
And camp on higher ground.

If trouble, like a swarming plague,
Besiege your marsh-land state
Until you feel you have incurred
The enmity of fate,
Think not that in a flood of tears
Your troubles can be drowned,
But rise through all the strength of will,
And camp on higher ground.

When mingled tongues and ways of men
Becloud your judgments' view,
When falsehoods are so nicely veiled
Almost you think them true,
Just take an upward path until
You come within the sound
Of that still voice that reaches those
Who camp on higher ground.

The texture of your earthly garb
Is breaking thread by thread,
And on some day, in some far clime,
You'll don new robes instead;
And as your welcomed spirit thrills
With freedom newly found,
You'll bless the hand that lead you there
To camp on higher ground.

The sunshine of eternal love
Will never cease to flow,
The soul outreaching for its rays
Will never cease to glow;
Since in that glorious heavenly life
Such wondrous love is found,
We still may go from joy to joy
To camp on higher ground
---J. H. A.

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CHAPTER XI.

LABORS IN NORTHEASTERN NEBRASKA.

My new district included eleven counties, and extended from the Platte River on the south, to the northern boundary of the State. I found noble, self-sacrificing, faithful brethren and sisters, who were willing to help on the good work of the gospel of the kingdom to the extent of their ability. I spent the winter of 1900-1901 in visiting my churches. While traveling, I was exposed to inclement weather, and my old enemy, the quinsy, came upon me again, and for eleven days and nights I suffered severely; but I recovered, although it left me quite weak, and I was troubled with neuralgia in the chest more or less during the remainder of the winter. One night, while sleeping with Brother Anderson, at Harrington, I awoke with a terrible pain in my chest. It was bitter cold, and I thought that if possible I would not trouble any one; but the misery was so great that I woke Brother Anderson and told him to get a lot of boiling hot water as quickly as possible, and heat the flat irons as hot as he could make them. While the water was heating, I got up, and walked around the room. It seemed as if I could hold out but little longer. My head began to get dizzy, and fearing I would soon be unconscious, I said to Brother Anderson, "If I should not get over this, please tell my loved ones that I fell with my face toward the kingdom of God." He took the bottom out of a chair, placed a pail of boiling hot water under it, placed a thin blanket over the chairs, and I sat down in it, with my feet in a dish of hot water. Then he wrapped me in a quilt from the neck to the feet, put a compress of cold water on my head, put a hot iron in the pail of hot water, and the hot steam soon had the perspiration running down my body in streams. The pain vanished in short order, and I have not had trouble with neuralgia since.

{p. 277}

Dear reader, if you wish to relieve pain, water, intelligently applied, is a mighty agent in doing it.

At Harrington we had more excellent meetings. The Spirit of the Lord came into our midst to reprove and comfort, and the dear brethren and sisters were greatly encouraged in the Lord.

As the claim that Sunday should be sacredly observed as a day of rest and worship is not founded upon a command of God, but upon the example of the apostles, one evening we searched the New Testament scriptures to see how the apostles observed Sunday. We found that Peter and John ran together on the resurrection day, and John outran Peter. John 20:4. Now running is hard work. If it were right for Peter and John to thus work hard on Sunday, it is right for us to do the same.

We found that two disciples and Jesus walked that same day from Jerusalem to Emmaus and returned, a distance of one hundred and twenty furlongs. Luke 24: 13- 36. It is certain that Christ and these two disciples did not set us the example of resting or Sabbatizing on Sunday. Now, dear Sunday-keeping brother, if Sunday became the new Christian Sabbath by the resurrection of Christ, why did not Christ set us the example of keeping it? Did Christ and the two disciples commit sin in walking one hundred and twenty furlongs on Sunday--- a hard day's work for most of us? Of course you answer, No. It follows that neither do we commit sin when we follow Christ's example, and work hard on the resurrection day.

In Acts 20: 7 we have an account of Paul's holding a meeting on the first day of the week at Troas. The thirteenth verse shows that while the meeting was in progress the companions of Paul were sailing around the peninsula of Lectum, from Troas to Assos. Paul's preaching, and his brethren's sailing on Sunday, does not seem to stamp it as a day of sacred rest. This is a notable example of sailing and not of resting on the venerable day of the sun.

Surely, if it was right for these holy men to go sailing on Sunday, it is right for us or any one else to do likewise. What do you say, my Sunday-keeping brother or sister, is it not so?

{p. 278}

Paul wrought at tent making, six days a week, Acts 18: 3. He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath. Acts 18: 4. Since Paul preached the gospel every Sabbath, and worked at tent making the rest of the time, what did he do on Sunday? He surely worked at tent making, and there is no other right conclusion to come to. We conclude that if it were right for the apostle to the Gentiles to labor with his hands on Sunday, it is right for us to do the same. We conclude also, that teaching that the apostles instituted Sunday as a day of sacred rest, and observed it as such, is a fable, and nothing more.

Mary Magdalene arose very early on the resurrection morning, but did not rise early enough to find the Sabbath. Why?--- Because the Sabbath was past. See Mark 16: 1, 2. Please remember, dear reader, that you cannot rise early enough in the morning on the first day of the week to find the Sabbath according to the New Testament. Why?---Because the Sabbath is always past before the first day of the week begins. If any person wishes to know which day of the week to keep as the Sabbath according to the commandment of the Lord in New Testament times, let him compare Luke 23: 56 with Luke 24: 1; and he will see that the first day of the week comes just one day too late to be the Sabbath according to the commandment of God. It is only a Sabbath according to the commandment of men. This is a serious matter, for Christ said, "In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandment of men." Mark 7: 7. May the dear Lord give us a willing mind to walk in the light of His holy Word.

At Blair we had some very interesting and profitable meetings, and a very successful Sabbath-school convention. It made our hearts glad to be there.

The following summer, O. E. Jones, Miss Pearle West, Miss Lizzie Jones, and myself pitched our tent at Tekamah, Burt County. I had held some Bible readings, and distributed reading matter earlier in the spring. I attended the Disciple convention, and met a couple of my old Minnesota friends, Elder James White and wife. Since I had seen them, he had become a minister of that people. I had the pleasure, also, of attending a great union revival, conducted by the noted {p. 279} revivalist, Mr. McGregor, assisted by the Canadian soloist, Mr. McLauchlin. The singing was grand, the preaching was entertaining, but the fruits were meager.

I held a Bible reading at Mr. Joseph Ashby's one day, on the Lord's plumb line, which Elder Smith, the Disciple minister, his deacon, and some others attended. We had a very interesting study. "Then said the Lord, Behold, I will set a plumb line in the midst of my people Israel: I will not again pass by them any more." Amos 7: 7, 8. That the Lord will not pass by any more, shows that setting this plumb line in the midst of His people is the last work He will do for them. Those who are found in accord with the Lord's plumb line will be acceptable subjects of His everlasting kingdom; those who are not in harmony with it will be rejected. As a material plumb line test material things, and points out their defects, so the Lord's plumb line will test the moral character of His people, and point out their defects. What can it be? What is wrong with mankind, anyway?---"For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." Rom. 3: 23. Do we all agree that sin is the trouble?--- Yes. Well and good. Now, what is sin?---"Whosoever commiteth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1John 3: 4. Do we all agree that sin is the transgression of the law? The Scriptures declare it, and we cannot deny it. Since sin is the transgression of God's law, and as sin is the only fault or defect in mankind, whatsoever makes sin known must be the plumb line.

I see all are agreed upon this point, and now we will inquire, By what is sin made known? "For by the law is the knowledge of sin." Rom. 3: 20. Is there any other way by which sin is known?---No; for Paul declares, "I had not known sin but by the law: for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Rom. 7: 7. What law says, "Thou shalt not covet." The law of ten commandments. We must conclude that this law, spoken by the voice of God, and written by His own finger on the imperishable stone, is His eternal rule of righteousness, or plumb line, by which sin is known.

What must a plumb line be?---It must be perfect and right; everybody can see that. Was the law spoken on Sinai {p. 280} right?--- "Thou camest down also upon mount Sinai, and spakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right judgments, and true laws, good statutes and commandments." Neh. 9: 13. Since the law spoken on Sinai was right, true, and good, what kind of a man would he be whose life was in harmony with it?---Right, true, and good. Correct; such a man would surely find admittance into the kingdom of God.

We will now listen to the apostle's testimony to this law: "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Rom. 7: 12. What kind of a man would he that would live up to this law?--- He would be holy, just, and good. Correct. If he refused to line in accordance with it, what kind of a man would he be?---A bad man, of course. Then this law is the test of character, or the Lord's plumb line. What is the whole duty of man?---"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." Eccl. 12: 13. What do you conclude from this scripture? Since the commandments of God are the measure of man's whole duty to God, it follows that they are His test of character, or plumb line.

As in our text the Lord says that He will set his plumb line, or law, in the midst of His people, and will not again pass by them any more [Amos 7: 8], it follows that just before the coming of Christ, the attention of the people will be called to the commandments of God. See Rev. 14: 12. "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." This message is immediately followed by the coming of Christ: "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." Verse 14.

It will be interesting to note how the Lord's children will receive this latter- day commandment message. "Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come, forever and ever [the latter-day margin]: that this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the Lord." Isa. 30: 8, 9. When will these lying children refuse to hear the law of the Lord?---In the latter day.

The law says the seventh {p. 281} day is the Sabbath, and they refuse to hear it, which proves them to be children by profession only. "for this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments" [1John 5: 3], and "he that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments," is a romancer, or something like that. See 1John 2: 4.

These latter-day children will not hear the law of the Lord; but what will they hear?---"Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits." Isa. 30: 10. That is the way it is with the latter-day popular professors. The minister must speak to them smooth things, or lose his job. What does Hosea say of the fowls of heaven and the fishes of the sea?---They shall be taken away. Hosea 4: 1- 3. Have the fishes of the sea been taken away yet?---No. When will they be taken away?---"And the second angel poured out his vial [plague] upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." Rev. 16: 3. Then what time does the prophet Hosea have in mind?--- The time of the pouring out of the seven last plagues upon the earth. That will be in the latter time, will it not?---Yes, evidently so.

Note what Hosea further says in this connection, in regard to the Lord's law, or plumb line: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the LAW of thy God, I will also forget my children." Hosea 4: 6. When do we find this prophecy has its application?---In the latter time. Then what will the Lord's people do in the latter time?---Reject the law of their God. Then what does God do with those who reject His law?---"Seeing thou hast forgotten [or rejected] the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." Sad condition of things in the last days!

Now, dear brethren, let me ask you, What is there in God's holy law that is obnoxious to you? "The seventh-day Sabbath is the only objectionable point in the law to us." Why do you object to that?---"O, so few keep it; it is very unpopular. It is also exceedingly inconvenient; it interferes greatly with our business."

How much of the law must we reject {p. 282} to reject it all? "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." James 2: 10. Then if we reject the Sabbath, do we reject the whole law?--- "It seems like it." Honest brethren, do we not only seem to do it, but do we not actually do it? Silence.

Have we found that the plumb line is the law of God?---"Yes." Did we find that it is right, true, and good? [Neh. 9: 13]---"Yes." That it is holy, just and good? [Rom. 7: 12]---"Yes." Does the Lord by His prophet declare that it is perfect? [Ps. 19: 7]---"Yes." Now, if we disagree with this righteous law, is the wrong in us, or in the law?---We must confess that the wrong is in us. What is the worst thing, brethren, that can possibly happen to us?--- To be wrong, to be sure. Then what is the best thing for us?---To be right, of course. Then let us forsake the wrong, and love and obey the right.

The importance of this work is very forcibly set forth in Zech. 7: 13: "Therefore it is come to pass, that as He cried, and they would not hear, so they cried, and I would not hear, saith the Lord of hosts." The time of probation is past when this scripture applies, because the Lord will not hear the cry or prayer of the sinner. What had the Lord cried, that they would not hear? "Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the Lord of hosts hath sent in His spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of hosts." Verse 12.

Well, brethren, have we found that the plumb line that God will set in the midst of His people, and not again pass by them any more, is His righteous law?---"Yes. "Does this last scripture declare that this law will be set in the midst of the people, and that they refuse to hear it, and therefore there comes upon them a great wrath from the Lord of hosts?--- "Yes." That is the plain teaching; no man can gainsay it. Is the law of God now, at this present time, being set before the people as never before?--- "Yes." Are many of God's professed children refusing to hear it?---"Yes." Why?---"Because it says the seventh day is the Sabbath." I ask you, dear brethren and sisters, at this Bible study, will you also refuse to hear the law of God? Is there {p. 283} not great danger that we will hide under a refuge of lies? "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 places." Isa. 28: 17. What three things are prominently brought to view in this scripture?--- Plumb line, hail, and refuge of lies. What constitutes the plumb line?---Judgment and righteousness. What is righteousness?---"My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy commandments are righteousness." Ps. 119: 172. Thus we see that this plumb line, or law of God, is righteousness itself.

What do the people know in whose heart is God's law?---"Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law." Isa. 51: 7. Why do they know righteousness?--- Because they know the law, and the law is righteousness. Wonderful plumb line.

Now let us examine the hail. What does the Lord say about that?--- "Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow? or hast thou seen the treasures of the hail, which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war?" Job 38: 22, 23. What do we learn from this?---That the hail comes in the last time. That is right. What will the hail be mingled with?---"An overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone." Eze. 38: 22. How great will the hailstones be?---"And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent: and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was exceeding great." Rev. 16: 20, 21.

What do we learn from this scripture?---That the hail is the last plague, and that it is very grievous. What did we learn in Isa. 28: 17? --- That just before the hail comes, God will set in the midst of His people his plumb line, and they will hide under a refuge of lies. Is the law of God, or the Lord's plumb line, now, just now, being set before the people in a new and clearer light than ever before? Have you received in this study greater light on God's law than you ever did before? --- "Yes, sir, we have. We have seen things that we never knew were in the Bible before." Many { p. 284} reject the light, I am sorry to say, and trust in fables. They hold that the Sabbath was changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week at the resurrection of Christ. Did the Lord say so?---No. Did the Lord command any one to keep it?---No. Is it once called the Sabbath anywhere in the Bible?---No. Then is not the change of the Sabbath a fable, and nothing more?

Others declare that the law of God was nailed to the cross, and that Christ and the apostles gave us new law in the New Testament. Did you ever see this new, revised copy of God's law?---No. Does anybody know what those new commandments are, or where they are recorded in the New Testament?---No one knows. Then is not this new, revised edition of God's law simply a fable, and nothing more? The cry is heard now in many places that the Sabbath is bondage; but this is only another fable, for God says, "Call the Sabbath a delight." Isa. 58: 13.'

'We cannot keep the Sabbath on a round world," is confidently asserted by many at the present time. Can you keep the first day?--- O, yes. My dear brother, are you not romancing a little? "Time is lost, and we cannot tell when the seventh day comes," is sounded from many a pulpit today, throughout the land. Can you tell when the first day comes?---Not the least trouble about that. "We keep the first day in honor of the resurrection of Christ." We perceive, dear brother. The first day has been well known, and sacredly observed right along, but the seventh day has been everlastingly lost. Surely the Lord stated the truth exactly when He taught that they would take shelter under a refuge of lies. What a sad thing to do! The hail will sweep away such a refuge as that. How much better to conform to the plumb line, and keep the commandments of the Lord. "Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22: 14. The commandment keepers enter into the city. Do the commandment breakers enter in also?---O no; they remain on the outside. O that we might all be willing and obedient, and eat the good of the land. Isa. 1: 19.

This looks all very plain and clear, but how are we poor {p. 285} sinners to keep God's perfect law of righteousness? "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1John 1: 9. And again, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Phil. 4: 13. Then is it not true that through Christ we can keep the commandments of the Lord? Listen to His voice in the new covenant: "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." Heb. 8: 10-12. Bless the Lord for a Saviour who is able, if we are willing, to write the law of God in the hearts of His people, and to present us faultless before the presence of His glory, with exceeding joy. Jude 24.

We, indeed, had an interesting time; and Elder Smith and his deacon, and some others, will remember our Bible reading for a good while to come.

One evening I went to a revival meeting, and the minister requested any of the audience who were willing, to arise, and repeat a passage of Scripture. I thought it was a very beautiful exercise, and I joined in it, and repeated Isa. 51: 7, 8: "Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law; fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool: but my righteousness shall be forever, and my salvation from generation to generation." This blessed Word of God had a very unhappy effect on the minister. He so far forgot himself as to shout, "Let us have something from the New Testament. Some people have a hobby to ride, and they ride it to hell." I have noticed that to quote the Word of God, that refers to His holy law, has about the same effect on some ministers as it does on a certain domestic animal to flaunt a red flag in his face. Why is this? The law was in the heart of Christ. Ps. 40: 7, 8.

And the prophet {p. 286} cries out, "O, how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.; Ps. 119: 97. The commandments of the Lord are declared to be "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb" [Ps. 19: 10]; and the apostle exclaims, "For I delight in the law of God after the inward man." Rom. 7: 22. Why a reference to the law of the Lord should disturb the peace of mind of some ministers, and tantalize them so, is certainly a great mystery. I have concluded that there must be something in the law that is very obnoxious to them, and I have learned from their own lips that the only thing they cannot endure is that precept that testifies: "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work." It has been interesting to me for many years to note how they fought against this command of the great God. The have made faces at it, kicked at it, called it hard names, such as Jewish, bondage, death, and the like; yet the dear old commandment reads just the same as before, and sits as securely enshrined in the law of Jehovah, and shines as brightly as ever, and I am persuaded that it has an endless life, because it is truth. "All thy commandments are truth." Ps. 119: 51. Then the command that says the seventh day is the Sabbath, is the truth, and we all know that truth is immortal, and cannot die; and I wish kindly to suggest that it is very unwise and foolish to fight the truth; and so, dear brother ministers, let us no longer oppose, but rejoice in the truth. 1Cor. 13: 6. Our tent meetings at Tekamah were not as successful as we greatly desired, but the Lord led some honest souls to rejoice in the light, and to walk in it.

Praise the name of the Lord. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Largely through the efforts of a little Sister Peterson and her brother, Christian Jenson, the believers of Tekamah have a neat church, well equipped, in which to worship God. It seemed at first that the ministers would not deign to publicly notice our work; but we kept hard at work, preaching, visiting, distributing reading matter, holding Bible readings, and putting articles in the papers, giving the prominent points of our faith, until the surrounding country got light on the great truths pertaining to our day and generation. Finally a learned minister, Dr. Wilson felt constrained to give his views on the Sabbath question.

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He taught us that the ten commandments, Sabbath, and all, were binding upon all men, were universal in their obligations, and eternal in their duration; yet, by some mysterious dispensation of divine providence, the Sabbath had been changed from the seventh day to the first day of the week, although he failed to find a record of such a momentous change in the sacred narrative, and concluded that it made no difference which day we keep anyway, if we only keep one day in seven. Not a very good showing for a learned gentleman to make; but, gentle reader, if you think you can do any better for the Sunday Sabbath, please try it, and you will be convinced.

The Disciple minister had previously declared from his pulpit that the Sabbath was an old, obsolete, Jewish institution, was abolished and done away; and that all the ten commandments died, expired, and gave up the ghost on the cross. Thus the Sunday advocates demolished each other, and the lovers of truth could look calmly on while the advocates of error, with their glittering swords of controversy, split each others' crowns. Such contradictory testimony convinced people that somebody was in great error and profound darkness on the Sabbath question.

From Tekamah we removed to Craig, but there was not any interest to hear the message of the third angel of Rev. 14: 9- 12; so we folded our tents, and pitched again in Herman; where two years before, a cyclone had torn the town to pieces, killed, wounded, and destroyed in a wonderful manner. Chickens were entirely stripped of their feathers, and were otherwise unhurt. Straws were driven endwise into planks. An engine boiler, weighing nineteen and one-half tons, was carried to the top of a hill, and laid down on to the floor of a building so carefully that neither boiler nor floor were injured in the least. At Herman we had much better interest, but had to quit before it was fully developed, and go to camp meeting.

Our camp meeting was held at Lincoln Park, in September, 1901; And a very wet and stormy time it was. One night, while hundreds of people were in the gospel pavilion, listening to the preaching of the Word, a terrific storm of wind and rain came down upon us, and the worshipers fled in {p. 288} great confusion, fearing the pavilion would fall upon them; and it actually did fall soon after the people got away.

I told my baby girl, Beulah, nine years old, to sit quietly while I looked after some necessary things, and, amid all confusion, she sat there until I returned, having the most implicit confidence in her father, that he knew best, and would care for her. Her firm faith in her father touched my heart, and taught me a lesson of simple faith and trust in my Father in heaven. That was a wild night for the army of campers. The water arose so high that some had to leave their tents, and take shelter on higher ground. The water was so deep in a tent where two sisters with a babe were camping, that it was half way to the knee. One sister sat in a chair with her heels in another, holding the little child in her lap, while the other was barefoot, wading around in the water, taking care of things the best she could. Day after day it was rain, rain; yet the people were happy, and enjoyed the sunshine of heaven in the soul. They received so much of the blessing of the Lord that it lifted them above trials and troubles of this veil of tears. The camp meeting was no small affair. There was the great pavilion for the English-speaking people, the Scandinavian gospel tent for the Scandinavians, and the large German gospel tent for the Germans, and then the youths' tent and the children's meetings; and around them were the great multitude of family tents, all pitched in perfect order. It was indeed a cotton city, filled with devout worshipers, who had come from far and near to seek God. The bright beams of the Sun of righteousness shone into the hearts of the dear children of God, and many went forth from that meeting with renewed spiritual strength to fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on eternal life. Sinners were brought from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God; and between one and two hundred were buried with Christ in baptism, and arose to walk in a new life. Truly, the stately steppings of a King were seen in our midst. "Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion: for great is the Holy One of Israel in the midst of thee." Isa. 12: 6

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CHAPTER XII.

EXPERIENCES, LABORS, AND CONFLICTS OF A NEW CONFERENCE YEAR

Soon after camp meeting, I started out again to "blow the trumpet in Zion, and sound the alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2: 1. The first point I visited was Cortland, on my old district. We met with the dear brethren in our new house of worship. It was a joy once more to meet with the Cooks, Wises, Hartzells, Woolseys, and others of like precious faith. We spoke to them the Word of the Lord. We renewed our covenant with the Lord, and with one another to be the Lord's; to serve Him and to love the name of the Lord, and to be faithful to the trust committed unto us. We talked over old battles, conflicts, and victories; rejoiced together in the blessed hope, bade each other good-by, and each went his way to lift up Christ, and by his life to say, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." After this I visited different churches, lifting up before them the standard of righteousness we must attain unto in order to rejoice before the Lord at his coming. Isa. 25: 9.

To be translated into the everlasting kingdom without seeing death [see 1Cor. 15: 51, 52], we must walk with God as Enoch and Elijah did. Gen. 5: 24. "He that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. " 1John 3: 3. they will present their bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. They will be transformed by the renewing of their mind, that they may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Rom. 12: 1, 2. They will cleanse themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2Cor. 7: 1.

They will have an experience in accordance with the prayer of the apostle, "And the very God of peace sanctify you {p. 290} wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1Thess. 5: 23. "Faithful is He that calleth you, who also will DO it." 1Thess. 5: 24. Our part is to be willing and obedient [Isa. 1: 19], and it is the Lord's part to do the work. Such a people will love the appearing of Christ. 2 Tim. 4: 8. Christ will say to them, "Surely I come quickly," and they will respond, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus. " Rev. 22: 20. Such a people will be abiding in Christ, and will have confidence, and not be ashamed before Him at His coming. 1John 2: 28.

Kind reader, are you such a Christian? Are you willing to be, and seeking to be? Then, by faith appropriate to yourself the following words of God; incorporate them into your spiritual life: "That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." Eph. 3: 16-21.

Dear brother or sister, "Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee." Isa. 60: 1. The Lord will not rest until the righteousness of Zion shall go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth. Isa. 62: 1

During the week of prayer, December, 1901, my time was divided between Fremont, Omaha, and South Omaha. Brother R. Ryan assisted me in the work. I can truly say that I never received such a blessing, such a spiritual uplifting, in any previous week of prayer. With prayers and many tears the dear people sought the Lord, putting away their sins; and the Lord by His Spirit came in a remarkable manner, especially in South Omaha. The Lord did cause His face to shine upon His people. A remarkable experience: One Sunday afternoon I {p. 291} entered a meeting where a preacher was very earnestly speaking against the law of God, the ten commandments. He spoke very loud; with a mighty voice he disclaimed against them. I knew that I was listening to the fulfillment of prophecy. "It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for they have made void the law." Ps. 119: 126. As I listened, I thought, "This dear people are in darkness; they know not what they do. The Lord has given me light on this subject. Ought I to let it shine forth in this darkness, or not?" I prayed in my heart to the Lord that He would guide me aright; and concluded that if liberty were given, I would kindly speak a word in favor of the law of my God. After the sermon, liberty was given, and I spoke a few minutes on the true relation between the law and the gospel, showing that the gospel is a remedy for sin [Matt. 1: 21], and that sin is the transgression of the law [1John 3: 4]; and if we take away or abolish the law, we abolish sin also; for it reads plainly, "For where no law is, there is no transgression," or sin. See Rom. 4: 15. So our brother, in abolishing the law has abolished sin, and in so doing, has abolished the gospel also, because everybody knows that if sin is abolished, there is no need of the gospel. We do not keep the law, as our brother supposes in order to be saved; but we keep it because we are saved. The difference between the saved and the unsaved is this: The saved love God, and keep His commandments; and the unsaved do not. We do not keep God's law in order to be justified, but we keep it because we are justified. Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Rom. 5: 1. But, my friends, we can have no peace with God while breaking His holy law. The first requisite in order to be justified by faith is to sin no more. John 8: 11. "Let him that stole steal no more." is the Lord's plan. Eph 4: 28. Faith brings to us a love for the divine precepts, or it is a sham, a delusion, and a snare.

A gentleman who had once declared his eternal loyalty to the commandments of God, but had since repudiated them, arose to speak. He gesticulated wildly. With loud voice, and gleaming, staring eyes, he fell on his knees, and walked on them across the room to where I was sitting, and grasped my hand, and seemed to be in an awful state of mind. Poor {p. 292} man! he had turned away from the holy commandment delivered unto him, and that left him a prey to the power of Satan. I believe surely that he was hypnotized by the devil. "His truth shall be thy shield and buckler." Ps. 91: 4. The only thing that will shield us from the strong delusions of the latter times is the love of the truth. 2Thess. 2: 9-12. Therefore, "buy the truth, and sell it not." Prov. 23: 23.

In February and March we had some interesting experiences in Decatur, an old Nebraska town in Burt County, situated on the Missouri River. Brother Blue had relatives and friends there, and was anxious that they might see the light of the third angel's message; so he secured the use of the Dunkard church, and we began meetings. He and his faithful wife helped us a good deal in the meetings, and we had quite an interest, in the midst of which a couple of Latter-day-Saint elders began a series of meetings in their church, in which they took strong ground against the law of God and the Sabbath. We, of course, defended the truth, and the whole town was stirred. The church would not hold the people; so a large hall was secured in which to hold the meetings. Our Latter-day friends discovered, as many others have done, that there is power in the law of Jehovah.

One night the interest arose to a great height. As the elder was teaching that the ten commandments did not apply in Eden, he shouted, "Adam and Eve owned everything there was; how then, could they steal?" An old gentleman, by the name of Redding, replied, "I thought there was some fruit there that did not belong to them." These few words upset his erroneous doctrine; but he kept right on, piling one error on top of another. He declared that there was nothing written on stones but the ten commandments, that the law Moses was not written on stones at all. I asked him if I understood him correctly; and he said, Yes; and if I could show different. I should have opportunity to do so after he was done speaking. After the discussion, I went up onto the rostrum and looked into the eager faces of several hundred people. The excitement was high, to say the least. I opened the Bible, and read what Joshua did: "And he wrote there upon the stones a copy of the law of Moses, which he wrote in the presence of the children of Israel." Josh. 8: 32. "My {p. 293} brother, you know you declared to this people that the law of Moses was not written on stone, and here it reads distinctly and plainly as anything can, that the law of Moses was written on stones. Will you here and now retract what you have said?"

Kind reader, you must have been there to have appreciated the situation. I will confess I was a little excited myself. Our Latter-day friends very soon objected to my making any more remarks, and as I was only speaking by their permission, I ought to have ceased instantly; but under the pressure of the moment, I did not obey as quickly as I ought to, for which failure I am very sorry. Anybody can see that we are living in a time of great warfare over the commandments of God; one class upholding them, and another class striving to put them down. To which class, dear reader, do you belong? This warfare is foretold by the Lord's prophet. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman [church], and went to make war with the remnant [last part] of her seed [children] which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12: 17. You see, it is the dragon, or devil, that makes war on the commandments of God, and those who keep them, and the war is on. Which side of this controversy have you espoused?

A goodly number in that town are convinced that the commandments of the Lord ought to be obeyed; but few have the moral courage to do so. A bright young lady, Miss Glennie Patterson, became very much interested on the Sabbath question. Of course, she would rather keep Sunday, if it were the true Sabbath; and she sent to the Methodist Book Concern for help, and they replied through their literary editor. In his first reply he was in darkness as to which was the seventh day, and asked if it might not be our Wednesday. In his second letter he was sure that Sunday is the true seventh day. When she wrote him, and pointed out his glaring discrepancy, he replied that he had carried on the correspondence as far as he considered it prudent to do so. Such a poor showing for Sunday by the literary editor of the great Methodist Book Concern, convinced her more than before that the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God. May she ever have grace to live up to her convictions of truth.

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I had an experience with a Latter-day preacher in Amor, Minn. He was preaching on spiritual gifts, and he showed by indisputable evidence that among their people wonderful cases of healing had been done by prayer and the laying on of hands, and he was proving by this that they were the true people of God. He was a powerful speaker, and I saw he was making a deep impression on the audience. I felt that I ought to do something to break the spell he was throwing over the people. He gave me liberty to speak, and I sanctioned his discourse as far as I could do so in truth; but cautioned his people not to build their faith upon signs and wonders, but upon the sure word of God; for in the latter times there should arise false christs and false prophets, and they should show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they should deceive the very elect. Matt. 24: 24. What were the false prophets to do? --- Show great signs and wonders. Then when prophets come to us showing great signs and wonders, we should beware of them. " Isa. 8: 20. As the elder spoke, he professed great love and reverence for the Bible. He said, "Where the Bible speaks, we speak; and where the Bible is silent, we are silent." A most excellent motto! I referred to this good rule of action, and commended it highly, and was glad to find an able minister of the New Testament advocating it before the people. Now, for a long time I have been looking for a man that would show me where the Bible speaks, saying that the first day of the week is the Sabbath, or Lord's day, but now it must be that I have found him, for surely he would not be precept and example teach that Sunday is the Sabbath, or Lord's day, when the Bible is silent as the grave in regard to it. I hope the brother will right here and now show us the Word of God enjoining the sacred observance of the first-day Sabbath, and I will sacredly observe it with him the rest of my days, and we will walk down life's pathway, peacefully keeping Sunday together. Well, dear reader, what reply do you think he made? He said not a word, but nervously sat in his chair a while, and then rose and dismissed his meeting. People saw very clearly that his teaching and practice did not agree.

{p. 295} The false prophets and divine healers abound today, and are growing more numerous. See Schroeder, Schlatter, Dowie, and many others, all claiming to prove their divine mission by the wonders they perform. The prophecy is being fulfilled before our eyes. Beware! The Latter-day Saint wonder-workers are an offshoot from Mormonism. They are great opposers of the divine precepts, claiming that the ten commandments were the old covenant, which has passed away, thus getting rid of the Sabbath and all the obnoxious commandments at one stroke. As this fatal error is fast spreading among the various so-called evangelical denominations, perhaps it will be well to notice it here very briefly. There are many covenants in the Bible. We will notice three. A promise is called a covenant. The rainbow was a token of the covenant God made with Noah, which was a promise that God would not again bring a flood of water on the earth. See Gen. 9: 13-16. The ten commandments are called a covenant, "And He declared unto you His covenant, which He commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and He wrote them upon two tables of stone." Deut. 4: 13.

An agreement is called a covenant. "And they covenanted with him [Judas] for thirty pieces of silver." Matt. 26: 15. It will be interesting now to note whether the old covenant was a promise, the law of God, or an agreement between God and the children of Israel. A few reasons are given why it could not have been the ten commandments: ---

1. The law was one thing, and the covenants something else.
"Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises?" Rom. 9: 4. We see very clearly from this that the giving of the law and the covenants were separate things; but if the law was the covenant, the giving of the law and the making of the covenant would have been one and the same thing. Therefore the law could not have been the covenant.

2. The old, or first, covenant was only temporary, and passed away; but "all His commandments are sure. They stand fast forever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness." Ps. 111: 7, 8.

{p. 296} A temporary covenant and an eternal law cannot be the same thing; therefore, the ten commandments cannot be the old covenant.

3. The first covenant was faulty; "For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second." Heb. 8: 7.

The law was perfect. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Ps. 19: 7. A faulty covenant and a perfect law cannot be the same thing; therefore, the law cannot be the first, or old covenant.

4. The first covenant failed because the people failed to keep it. "Because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord." Heb. 8: 9. An agreement depends upon its conditions being kept. The law of God depends not upon the obedience of men, but upon the authority of the Lawgiver. It can never fail because men refuse to keep it; therefore, it is not the old covenant which continued not because men continued not in it.

5. By means of the first covenant God became a husband to the children of Israel. "Which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord." Jer. 31: 32. Did the Lord become a husband unto them by promulgating commandments? Gentle reader, are you a husband? Did you become such by command, or did you propose? Doubtless you proposed. Even so in the same way the Lord became a husband to the children of Israel. He proposed. "Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel.... Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation... And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord. " See Ex. 19: 3-7. Did the Lord propose to the children of Israel? --- Yes. Did they accept the Lord's proposition? --- Yes. By so doing did they become a peculiar treasure unto Him? --- Yes. Did He thus become a husband to them? --- Yes.

{p. 297} Then is this agreement the first covenant? --- Yes. Sometimes two covenants come together. The king and the people made a covenant to keep the covenant written in the book. 2 Kings 23: 3. So at Sinai the people covenanted to keep God's covenant of ten commandments. This covenant was written by Moses, and read in the ears of the people, and they all again with one voice, said, "All the words which the Lord hath said will we do," After which the covenant was sealed, or dedicated, with blood. See Ex. 24: 3-8. After the covenant was dedicated and consummated, "the Lord said to Moses, Come up to me in the mount, and be there: and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law, and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them. " Ex. 24: 12.

Was the first covenant written by Moses in a book before the dedication with blood? --- Yes. The ten commandments were not received in a written form until after the first covenant was complete. Was the first covenant dedicated with blood? --- Yes. Were the ten commandments dedicated with blood? --- No. We have seen that Moses did not receive them in a written form until after the first covenant had been dedicated. Then, is the law of ten commandments the first covenant? Every honest, unprejudiced mind must answer, No. But are we sure that this agreement covenant dedicated with blood was really and truly the first covenant? --- Yes; for the inspired apostle declares that the first testament, or covenant, was dedicated with blood. "Whereupon neither the first testament [covenant] was dedicated without blood." Heb. 9: 18. Is it not too bad that ministers of the gospel, in order to make void the command that says "the seventh day is the Sabbath," will not hesitate to affirm that God's holy and righteous law, spoken and written by the almighty God himself, is the old covenant, which was faulty, and has vanished away, when there is not one word of truth in it?

The new covenant is better than the old, because established upon better promises. See Heb. 8: 6. Let us consider those exceeding great and precious promises carefully. "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the Lord: I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: and they shall not {p. 298} teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying. Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more." Heb. 8: 10- 12. These promises are as much higher than the promises of the old covenant as the heavens are higher than the earth. May we all be glad, and rejoice in them forever. Now, dear ones, let us stop, and consider for a moment. does the law of God come into the new covenant? --- Yes. Is the seventh-day Sabbath a part of that law? --- Yes. Then does it come into the new covenant? --- Yes, certainly. Is Sunday found in the law of God? --- No. Then is it found in the new covenant? --- No. Is the Sunday Sabbath outside of the commandments of God? --- Yes. Then, is it outside of the Lord's new covenant? --- Yes; it is forever and always on the outside.

The apostle informs us that after a covenant is confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. Gal. 3: 15. When was the new covenant confirmed, or ratified? --- When Christ shed his blood on the cross. Could anything be added to it after this? --- Not according to the inspired apostle. Was the Sunday Sabbath in existence at that time? --- No; no one had ever heard or thought of it yet; it was born at least three days after this; so, you see, that it was born at least three days too late to be a legitimate child of the new covenant.

Again, Holy Writ teaches us that "for where a testament [will] is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead. " Heb. 9: 16, 17. Who was the testator of the new testament? --- Christ. Where did he die? --- On the cross. When did His last will and testament come into force? --- When He died. Could anything be added to His will or testament after His death? --- No. Was the Sunday Sabbath in His will when He died? --- No. The most ardent Sunday advocate will not claim any such institution until the resurrection, three days after the death of the testator. What would you call a man that would insert something into a testament three days after the death of the testator? You would call him a great rascal; and the work he did would be called a deception and a fraud, and so he, the papacy, who inserted the Sunday institution {p. 299} into the last will and testament of Jesus Christ, not three days only, but long after His death, is a great rascal. He is called the little horn of Dan. 7: 25, which should speak great words against the Most High; and should wear out the saints of the Most high, and they should be given into his hand until a time, times, and the dividing of time, or 1260 long years, and that work which he did is a deception and a fraud. Now, dear reader, do not let us be deceived by this man of sin into believing that the Sunday Sabbath is an institution of the new covenant; for it is a deception and a snare, a fable and a fraud, and nothing more.

While at Decatur, I received a message from our Conference president, Elder N. P. Nelson, to come to College View, and teach the Bible class during the canvassers' institute. The canvassers, ladies and gentlemen, young and old, go everywhere, selling books and publications containing precious rays of light, especially adapted to our day and generation. It is marvelous how young men and young women get so full of the love of the truth that they go out, trusting in the God of truth to go with them, and to open doors and hearts before them; willing to bear hardships cheerfully, gladly, that they may bring a knowledge of the last message of salvation and warning to them who sit in darkness.

Every year there is held an institute for the canvassers in each conference, where they are taught the great truths contained in the books they sell, and how to bring out those truths in a clear, attractive light before the people, and how to deport themselves as Christian ladies and gentlemen. They are taught also how to conduct their business on business principles. There is a devoted, consecrated, and trained army of canvassers going to all parts of the world, carrying those precious books published in the various languages to the multitudes, peoples, and nations of earth, searching for the honest ones who are willing to walk in the light of the Word of God. See 1 John 1: 7. In those institutes the Bible is the most important study of all, and of all the things I love to do, it is to teach the Word of God to the consecrated canvassers. They are such enthusiastic students, their minds {p. 300} are bright and clear, and trained to see the truth quickly. Think you that such a class would be dull and uninteresting? I have seen their eyes shine with delight as new rays of light from God's holy word shone into their minds, and I wanted to be with them so much, and then I would be at home with wife and children, and for nearly thirty years I have been away from them the most of the time; and now the president has said, "Come." Shall I go, and leave the interested ones? The Lord has commissioned me to turn people from darkness to light, and some are getting their eyes opened, and are upon the point of turning, and if I should leave them at this critical time, they may lose their newborn interest, and be lost. The Lord has given me this little point in His vineyard to cultivate for Him, I must be faithful to my trust; Christ first and self last, and I stayed. The good friends never knew the struggle it cost me, but the dear Lord knows all about it. Although tears start from the old eyes as I think about it now, I do not regret it in the least. I would do the same thing again, finding a blessedness in denying self for Christ; for, like Moses, I have respect unto the recompense of the reward. Heb. 11: 26. I wish to say to the honor of Christ, that whenever we cheerfully sacrifice for Him, He comes into the obedient heart with such joy and peace that we can truly say, "Thy yoke is easy, and thy burden is light."

"The way may be rough,
But it cannot be long;
We'll smooth it with hope,
And we'll cheer it with song."

In April, 1902, I attended a district conference of our people at Topeka, Kan. There I met with R. C. Porter, our old Minnesota conference president, whom I esteemed so highly, and had not seen in so many years. He was glad, and so was I. I also met Brother and Sister Merrel, old friends and fellow workers of Minnesota conference. For years they had been laboring in Philadelphia and other cities, to lead a people out of Babylon [confusion] into the unity of the faith, that they might be ready, prepared for the Lord. Also I met Elder M. Gregory, one of my Minnesota converts {p. 301} to the faith, who has been for many years an able advocate of the present truth. These meetings were a great pleasure to me, but they are only a foretaste of the great meeting in the sweet by and by.

Much important business was transacted by the conference. The preaching was clear and powerful, and the missionary fervor and spirit ran high. Elder Schultz stood up in one meeting, and said, "I and my wife donate one hundred dollars to the central African mission. All who will donate one hundred dollars for this noble work, please stand up. Brethren," he cried, "it will now cost you just one hundred dollars to stand on your feet. " It was a great sacrifice to some who stood up to give so large a sum, yet it was cheerfully, gladly given. I understood that at that conference $3,400 was raised for the Central African mission alone. I was financially in the same condition Peter was when he said, "Silver and gold have I none, but such as I have give I thee." I had with me a number of books entitled "Experiences of a Pioneer Minister of Minnesota," which were donated to the good cause.

I am glad I have a part with a people who have the spirit of sacrifice. When Christ comes to gather His people, He will say to the angels, "Gather my saints together unto me: those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice." Ps. 50: 5. What is it to sacrifice? Some men could give thousands of dollars, and not miss it, but that is not sacrifice. To sacrifice is to give what you need and feel the loss of. Reader, are you a sacrificing Christian? Is your love for Christ a sacrificing love? You know the rich blessings promised to them who have forsaken houses and lands for Christ's sake. Matt. 19: 27, 29. Please read these words of Jesus carefully, and then ask yourself the question: "How many houses and lands have I forsaken for Christ's sake?" Can you point to a single house or to one acre of land that you have forsaken for His dear name's sake? If not, do you not think that it is high time you made a beginning in the forsaking business?

We have industrial schools and colleges, both in America and other countries, conducted on the plan of training the intellect, the heart, and the hand.

At College View a farm {p. 302} of about two hundred acres is cultivated by the students. There is also a broom factory, printing establishment, bakery, and tailor shop for the young men, and a steam laundry and dressmaking department for young ladies. Besides, they are taught how to do healthful cooking. A doctor from the Sanitarium gives daily instructions in how to preserve health, and in the giving of simple treatments to the sick, and, above all, the Bible is the basis of all the education; that is, all branches of education are studied in the light of the Word of God. Young men and women are turned out from these schools as missionaries, able and willing to take hold and lift in any place, where suffering humanity needs a helping hand. In establishing those schools in different places a debt of three hundred thousand dollars was incurred. This burden of debt was greatly crippling the schools, and how it should be lifted was a problem hard to be solved. At last a heaven-born plan was adopted. A talented lady, Mrs. E. G. White, wrote a book on the parables of Christ, entitled "Christ's Object Lessons," --- a book full of spiritual instruction, consolation, and comfort; just the thing to cheer the weary pilgrim on his way to the kingdom of God. She dedicated her interest in the book. The publishing house donated the work of publishing it, and our people everywhere were to sell it, donating the time spent in canvassing for it, and thus devote all the proceeds to the one great object of freeing our schools from their burden of debt. Conference committees, ministers, and conference laborers had oversight of the work, and it was an inspiring sight to see a whole denomination --- men, women, and children --- making a united, earnest effort to pay their denominational debts. There were three objects to be gained; First, to pay the school debt, second, to bring the bright beams of the Lord's truth into the homes and hearts of the people; third, in doing this good work the brethren and sisters are greatly blessed of the Lord. Thousands all over the land joyfully took hold of the work, glad that the way was opened for them to do something for the Lord. Many who never had sold a book in their lives had remarkable success, and at this writing thousands of dollars have been paid, and still the good work goes on, and will go on until complete success crowns the effort; for God's hand is in it.

{p. 303}

I am sorry to say this work developed the fact that there are some drones in the Lord's hive. Dear reader, which are you, a drone or a worker, a honey gatherer or a honey eater only? You know, and the Lord knows. "Well done, thou good and faithful servant," will Christ say to the faithful soul in that great day. Let us so live, toil, and sacrifice for the Lord that He can truthfully speak those blessed words to us in that day. There is a present joy and rejoicing in self-sacrificing service for Christ.

"The hill of Zion yields
A thousand sacred sweets,
Before we reach the heavenly fields,
Or walk the golden streets. "

To illustrate what is being done in some places to sell "Christ's Object Lessons," I insert the following letter from Brother Joel C. Rogers to the Review and Herald: ---

"When our spring campaign began here in Ontario, Brother Charles Stewart, of the London church, was one of our first volunteers. He is about seventy years of age, and might almost be expected to claim exemption from active service. But instead of counting exemption a thing to be desired, he seemed to count service a privilege. So he took eight books. He said that he had never sold any books, and was not at all sure that he could, but that he was willing to pay ten dollars to help the school; and if he could not sell the books, he would give them away. Living in the country, nothing was heard for a few days of his success. Then he reported that he had gone out for an hour or two among his nearest neighbors, and sold four books. A few day later the librarian was surprised when he came for thirty more books. While delivering these to his subscribers, he took orders for several more copies. He has put in only about two days time at the work, and has now sold forty-two books, and I should not be surprised to learn of his selling a hundred before he stops. Thus this blessed campaign is developing efficient workers in God's cause; and I believe that these good books, along with this brother's consistent Christian life, will result in opening many hearts and homes in his neighborhood for the entrance of the truth.

{p. 304}

"In the same church, Brother John Smith is doing a similar work. He has a large furniture store in the city, and during this busiest season of the year, he has sold thirty books. His store is on the main business street. Here he sold most of these. Brother Stewart is an elder, and Brother Smith a deacon, in the church. This is a good example they are setting for their members, who are nearly all at work. Another brother and his wife have taken fifty-eight copies. Onward is the watchword here."

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WHEN EVERYTHING GOES WRONG.
It is easy enough to be pleasant
When life flows by like a song,
But the man worth while is the one who will smile
When everything goes wrong.
For the test of heart is trouble,
And it always comes with the years,
And the smile that is worth the praises of earth
Is the smile that shines through tears

It is easy enough to be prudent
When nothing tempts you to stray,
When without or within no voice of sin
Is luring your soul away.
But it's only a negative virtue
Until it is tried by fire,
And the life that is worth the honor of earth
Is the one that resists desire.

By the cynic, he sad, the fallen,
Who had no strength for the strife,
The worlds highway is cumbered today ---
They make up the item of life.
But the virtue that conquers passion,
And the sadness that hides in a smile ---
It is these that are worth the homage of earth,
For we find them but once in a while.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox.


{p. 305}

CHAPTER XIII.

LABORS IN NEW FIELDS

In June, 1902, Brother E. R. Gardner and myself held some meetings in a schoolhouse on the Omaha Indian reservation, not far from the town of Bancroft. We had a good interest to hear the Word, some people coming for miles in the busy time of corn cultivating, to the meetings. It was a pleasing experience to me to see whites, mixed bloods, and the dusky Indian in the same congregation. It made me think of that great multitude out of every kindred, nation, tongue, and people, who will join in the glad song of redeeming love, in the sweet by and by. Rev. 7: 9. We had the joy of pointing them to the lamb of God, and of proclaiming to them the riches of the kingdom of God, and of proclaiming to them the glad tidings of the soon coming of the dear Saviour, to take His people to Himself. John 14: 1- 3. A very estimable young married lady, a Mrs. Barber, attended the meetings some, and I had the pleasure of studying the blessed Bible with her at her home, and she impressed me as a very amiable, worthy person. What was my sorrow when, upon returning after a few days absence, I found she had suddenly died, and had left her husband a sad and lonely widower. I am so glad that I was permitted to bring rays of light and life from Jesus to her. If her husband's eye should ever fall upon these lines, I hope he will remember that there is a balm for every wounded spirit. It is found alone in Christ, and in the hope of eternal life, found alone in the gospel of the Son of God. Dear co-worker with the Lord, let us be very careful when we meet fellow travelers to the bar of God, to hold up before them the Word of life; for we know not that we will ever see them again until we meet them in that great day. O my Lord, help me to be a diligent reaper in life's harvest.

With prayers and tears we sowed among the people the {p. 306} good seed of the kingdom, and leave the result with the Lord of the harvest. The people were very kind to us, especially Mr. Frank Peters and W. D. Weaver, and for all their kindness we are thankful, and pray that they will in no wise lose their reward.

The following July finds us with our tent pitched in the charming village of Coleridge. Our tent company consists of W. B. Hill, R. Ryan, L. B. Porter, B. Garton, Mrs. Constance Garton, and Miss Hattie Cox, organist. The rain hindered much in our work, and at first the attendance was very light; but those who attended gave a good report of the meetings, and the attendance and interest increased. More than once when we had especially important subjects to present and the weather was stormy, dark clouds and weeping skies cutting off the attendance of the people, we bowed in a special season of prayer for good weather, and the clouds dispersed, the sun shone brightly, and the people came, and listened to the truth. We asked our God, who ruleth in the heavens above and in the earth beneath, that, if consistent with His divine will, He would grant us fair weather, that we might declare to the people, bought with the blood of His son, the great truths of His holy Word; and the fair weather came, and we praise the name of our God for it. The reader may do otherwise if he chooses. We are greatly rejoiced to see some dear souls embracing the truth in the love of it. One good old sister, Mrs. Boucher, attended the meetings, and the spirit of the Lord deeply impressed her heart with the commandments of God. She had a hard struggle, but, like Jacob of old, she prevailed, and yielded to the claims of the divine law, and now she knows from experience that "great peace have they that love thy law: and nothing shall offend them." Ps. 119: 165.

A Mr. Russell, a man full of Bible lore, attends our meetings some. He is a great disputer, and, like most other people, loves to have his own way; yet he has acknowledged that the seventh day is the Bible Sabbath. whether he has spiritual backbone enough to live out his convictions of truth, time will tell. Dear reader, it takes faith in God, and spiritual stamina to keep the Lord's Sabbath day at the present time. If you do not believe it, please try it. We are having an {p. 309} interesting study with a little Holiness sister, a Miss Nichols. She believes in being led by the Spirit, which is the only right thing to do. The spirit is to lead or guide us into all truth. John 16: 13. The Lord prayed, "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy Word is truth." John 17: 17. Then if we are led by the Spirit, we will be led in harmony with the Word of God, which is truth; and the Word of God testifies that the seventh day is the Sabbath. Then, if we are led by the Spirit, we will be led in harmony with the Word of God, which says "the seventh day is the Sabbath," which is truth; will we not? Does the Word of God say that the first day is the Sabbath? --- not as anybody knows of. The spirit that leads us into Sunday keeping guides us from the Word of God, and not into it. Paul says, "That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." Rom. 8: 4. Then the Spirit will lead us to fulfill the righteousness, or obey the righteous demands of the law. Then let us flee from the spirit that would lead us contrary to the law, whether in be in regard to the Sabbath or any other holy requirement of the divine precepts. We had a Bible reading with the little lady yesterday, in which it was demonstrated by the Word of God, which is truth, that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and that there is not a syllable in the Bible that requires Sunday observance; but whether she will go according to the Bible or her heart, time will tell. "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool, " is the Lord's comment on following our hearts instead of walking in the light of His Word. Prov. 28: 26. We pray the Lord that this good sister may decide wisely in this important matter. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do His commandments." Ps. 111: 10. Friends, let us all have wisdom and a good understanding.

Mr. and Mrs. Dennis rejoice in the blessed light that has come to them, and have taken a noble stand to obey the Lord. A brother of Mr. Dennis, and his wife, regularly attend our services, but have not yet yielded their hearts to walk in the way of God's commandments, although they have signified publicly that the law of the Lord ought to be kept. May the time soon come when their faith and practice will agree.

{p. 310}

How sad it will be for those who acknowledge the righteousness of God's law, and yet refuse to obey it! Mr. Kirkpatrick lets us have a nice rig to go out in the country with, and otherwise is very kind to us, often speaking approvingly of the preaching; but does not appear to be ready to forsake all, and follow Christ.

Elder Johnson, Methodist minister, and Elder Elliott, Presbyterian minister, have not been with us much; but Brother Johnson has attended our meetings more than Brother Elliott. they are very pleasant, genial gentlemen. They think we are wrong on the Sabbath question, but do not attempt to show us the better way. We have time and again publicly stated that if any person would have the kindness to show us one divine precept requiring Sunday sacredness, we would sacredly observe it; or. if they would point us to one Bible text that calls Sunday the Sabbath, or Lord's day, and observe it as such; or, if any person will find in the Oracles of God one example of its sacred observance by Christ or the apostles; or point us to one divine, God-given reason for its sacred observance, we will be very grateful to them, and promise faithfully to observe it the rest of our days. Neither Brother Johnson nor Brother Elliott has brought us this one text. Why is this? Only one truthful answer can be given --- there is no such divine authority for Sunday sacredness to be found. I visited with Brother Elliott the other day, and he informed me that he and Brother Johnson had concluded that they had better not attend our meetings any more. If Brother Johnson so concluded, he has not adhered to it altogether; for he has been twice since, and heard on "Who Changed the Sabbath?" in which it was demonstrated that the Catholic church is the guilty party. We know that what he heard that night will be a savor of life or of death unto him.

The reason Brother Elliott gave for treating us so, was that we bring division. But, Brother Elliott, Christ said, "Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I am not come to send peace, but a sword." Matt. 10: 34. If Brother Elliott is right that we should never preach anything that causes division, all the devil would have to do to stop the preaching of truth in this world, would be to stir up opposition {p. 311} against it; and we can count on the old Serpent to do that thing every time. See what a disturbance he raised over the preaching of Christ. He raised such a turmoil that Christ lost His life in bearing witness to the truth. I wonder if Brother Elliott, or any of these ease-loving, peace-loving ministers had been there, they would have concluded that the message of Christ was wrong, because it stirred up such mighty opposition; or would they have advised the Lord to stop His preaching because He was causing division and strife among the people?

Paul had the same experience. The opposers of the truth in his day imprisoned him, whipped and stoned him, and finally cut his head off. And so in every age the devil has stirred up opposition to the truth, and so it is today.

Brother Elliott said, "By their fruits ye shall know them," intimating that the fruits of our preaching were evil. It was suggested to him that it would be surprising if preaching the commandments of the Lord would be an injury to any community. We have known such preaching to take the profanity, whisky, beer, tobacco, and meanness out of men, and make good, clean Christians of them. "Brother Hill," he said, "tell me now, do you know of any good this changing of the Sabbath ever did to anybody?" "Well, the Lord says, '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 pleasures, nor speaking thine own words, then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord: and I will cause thee to ride upon high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.' Isa. 58: 13, 14. Here blessings as high as heaven, and as lasting as eternity, are promised the Sabbath keeper, by the mouth of the Lord." "O, yes; for keeping the Sabbath; but what benefit is it to any one to change from one Sabbath to another?" "My dear brother, the Lord says, 'The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God.' The Lord blesses us for keeping His Sabbath, not for keeping the venerable day of the sun, which is no Sabbath at all." Is it not strange, dear reader, that ministers will inform the Lord so often in {p. 312} their prayers that the first day is the Sabbath, when the Lord over and over again in His Word tell us, "the seventh day is the Sabbath."? The angels must look with wonder on such a scene as that. Mortal men educating the Almighty!

Brother Elliott made one more effort to justify himself in profaning the Sabbath of the Lord. He said, "Brother Hill, if the command said, The seventh day shall always and forever be the Sabbath, without any change, then, of course, we would be bound to keep it; but you know the command does not say so."

"Well, Brother Elliott, I had the pleasure of being in your Bible class last Sunday, and I learned there in the Presbyterian Sunday School Quarterly that the ten commandments are God's eternal rule of righteousness, and that they are as binding on all men today as they ever were."

Reader, do you not think that a Presbyterian minister and a Presbyterian Sunday School Quarterly ought to agree on the Sabbath question. He seemed to think so too, and we bade each other good-by for that time. I will say to his credit, that he was gentlemanly, an did not get angry, as many do when their Sunday foundation slips away from them. He did as well for Sunday as anybody can do. If you doubt it, try it, and you will be convinced.

Last summer I met a very eloquent Methodist minister in Tekamah, by the name of Poucher, a very pleasant man. He told me, one day, his reasons for keeping Sunday holy; "1. I was convicted of sin on Sunday. 2. I was converted on Sunday. 3. The Lord has greatly blessed me on Sunday. From this I conclude that the Lord wants me to keep Sunday." "But, brother, would you not much rather depend on a thus saith the Lord as a foundation for your faith and practice, than just your experience? Do you not think it would be much better and safer?" He thought it would, but he thought if we kept the law in the spirit it would be all right even if we did not keep it in the letter.

"Brother Poucher, do you not think it would be dangerous to preach to the people that it would be acceptable service to God to keep the commandments, "Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not commit adultery," in the spirit, while breaking them in the letter?" He quickly replied that he {p. 313} thought it would. A nice, talented man, but sadly in the dark concerning the law of the Lord.

Another instance of ministerial blindness, I was on my way from Lincoln to Dunbar, Neb., when I fell in with an Elder Self. He made light of our keeping the Sabbath on a round world. --- it was impossible to do it, anyway, as the day begins twelve hours in China before it does here, so we would only be able to keep half of the same day our brethren would keep in China. We reasoned with him like this: "Do you know what the poet said about that? He said, 'He must be a dunce who thinks the day begins all around the world at once.' We will suppose that the president of the United States should issue a proclamation that next Thursday be observed as a day of thanksgiving. What would he think if the people of San Francisco should reason that because the day begins in New York City four hours sooner than it does on the Pacific Coast, it was not the same day when it got to them; therefore, they could not obey the president's proclamation at all. He would rightly conclude that they were a little off their mental balance. He would say, 'Of course the day comes to New York sooner than it does to you, but it is the same identical day, all the same.' The Lord made the Sabbath to fit a round world, and I do not believe He made any mistakes about it." "I believe in preaching gospel institutions," he said, "that are universal in their application, such as baptism and the Lord's supper, etc. The Sabbath is not a universal institution. How can you keep it at the North Pole, where the days and nights are six months long?"

"Why, my dear brother I presume I can keep the Lord's Sabbath there as well as you can keep the pope's Sunday. There is one thing I enjoy, and that is, to see you folks run." "Why, what do you mean?" "I mean that you started in to prove Sunday sacredness by the Scriptures, and you soon got chased out of them, and took a run and never stopped until you got to the North Pole. Yes, my brother, I like to see you run." "But you preach baptism by immersion, don't you" "Yes." "You would cut a pretty figure at the North Pole, standing on a cake of ice one hundred feet thick, calling on the inhabitants to come and be dipped!" "My brother, {p. 314} if we should be so unfortunate as to get too far north to obey the Lord, don't you think it would be a good plan to come far enough south to observe the institution of the gospel?"

All this running to the North Pole is only a dodge to get around the Word of God which says, The seventh day is the Sabbath; for it is well known that the revolution of the earth on its axis is as clearly defined at the North Pole as anywhere on the globe. I would not notice such quibbles were it not that grave and learned ministers use them to deceive the unwary. Dear reader, whoever you may be, do not be deceived into hiding under such a refuge of lies. See Isa. 28: 17.

But the ministers are not always to be baffled in this way. Rev. Mr. Trefren, of Napa City, Cal., speaking of Seventh-day Adventist ministers, said, "As well might a few ants undertake to capture a great city, as for these men to change the Sabbath. I predict for them a short race. What we want is law in this matter, and we will have it, too; and then we will show these men what their end will be." The Supreme Court has already decided that this is a Christian nation. Congress has already voted that the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday, is the Sabbath according to the fourth commandment. See legislation in regard to the World's Fair, or Columbian Exhibition, at Chicago. The first law for the church made by the Roman government was in favor of the Sunday institution [See the famous Sunday edict of Constantine, 321 A.D.], and the first law for the churches made by the government of the United States was made in favor of the Sunday institution. Any one can see that we, as a nation, are walking in the footsteps of Rome. Of course, it was un-American for Congress to make a law in favor of any religious institution, for the Constitution declares that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and every congressman who voted for the Sunday law violated his oath to maintain the Constitution. Not only that, but the law is unchristian as well, for it violates the golden rule: "As ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise" [Luke 6: 31]; {p. 315} for in enacting their Sunday institution into law, they have demanded rights and privileges they are not willing to grant to others, and a man that thinks he has, or ought to have, more legal rights than his neighbor, is neither a good American nor a good Christian.

The two-horned beast of Rev. 13: 11, which represents the United States, was to make an image to the beast [papacy] which had the wound by a sword and did live [Rev. 13: 14]; which wound was received in 1798, when Berthier, a French general, entered Rome, took the pope prisoner, and he died in a French prison. Now the beast [papacy] was a church that ruled the state, and if the churches should rule the states in this country, we would have an exact image to the beast. You may say that will never be done. but you will admit that Congress bowed to the will of the churches in regard to closing the World's Fair on Sunday; and if Congress bowed once, why not again? One thing is very evident: The churches greatly desire to dictate to Congress, and are making great efforts to do so.

Rev. Sam Small was secretary of the National Prohibition convention, held at Indianapolis, in 1888; and, as reported in a revival sermon preached at Kansas City, Jan. 1888, he says what he wants to see is this: "I want to see the day come when the church shall be the arbiter of all legislation, State, national, and municipal; when the great churches of the country can come together harmoniously, and issue their edict, and the legislative powers will respect it, and enact it into law."

The Christian Statesman said: "Give all men to understand that this is a Christian nation, and that, believing that without Christianity we perish, we must maintain by all means our Christian character; inscribe this character on our Constitution; enforce upon all who come among us, the laws of Christian morality."

"Constitutional laws punish for false money weights and measures. So Congress must establish a standard of religion, or admit anything called religion." --- Prof. C. A. Blanchard, in Pittsburg, Penn., convention.

"Our remedy for all these malefic influences is to have the government simply set up the moral law, and recognize God's authority behind it, and lay its hand on any religion {p. 316} that does not conform to it." --- Rev. M. A. Gault, in Christian Statesman.

These quotations might be indefinitely extended, but the above is enough to show what our ministerial brethren are longing for, and when they get it we will have an exact image to the papacy; for all the papacy ever did was to set up a standard of religion, and lay its hands on any religion that did not conform to it. That Sunday is the Sabbath, is so much religion that Congress has already set up; and from present indications our government will speak still louder on religious questions in the near future. Does it not strike you as exceedingly inconsistent that members of Congress, many of whom are unbelievers, tobacco-defiled, whisky- polluted, licentious, corrupt men, should, at the request of the ministers, be engaged in setting up a standard of religion that the whole nation must conform to? There are two amazing things about it: That Congress would do it, and that the ministers would ask it.

PROGRESS IN THE WORK.

For many years there has been formed a very influential association for the purpose of placing Christian laws, institutions, and usages on an undeniable legal basis in the fundamental laws of the land. These gentlemen have been courting an alliance with the Catholic Church, until they have gained a favorable response. Cardinal Gibbons has signed a petition to Congress for a national Sunday law, and Archbishop Ireland is bearing his hearty testimony if favor of Sunday legislation. At a congress of leading Catholics, it was resolved that there are many Christian issues in which the Catholics could come together with the non-Catholics, and shape civil legislation for the public good. Such legislation would be church-controlled legislation and that would be the papacy over again. The last of their resolution reads, "We should seek an alliance with non- Catholics for proper Sunday observance. Catholics claim that the Catholic Church, of its own infallible authority, created Sunday a holy day to take the place of the Sabbath of the old law. --- Kansas City Catholic, Feb. 9, 1893.

"The Christian Sabbath, the genuine offspring of the {p. 317} union of the Holy Spirit and the Catholic Church, his Spouse." --- Cardinal Gibbon's organ, the Catholic Mirror, Sept. 23, 1893.

"The observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage --- worship --- they pay in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic Church." -- - Plain Truth to Protestants, page 213.

The Catholic church puts forth this change of the Sabbath as the symbol, sign, or mark of her power: "How prove you that the church has power to command feast days and holy days?"

"Answer. --- By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday." --- Abridgment of Christian Doctrine.

Of course Catholics are only too glad to assist Protestants in influencing the civil government to adopt this child of the papacy, this symbol, sign or mark of her power, as the symbol, sign or mark of the Christianity of this Christian nation.

In a large National Reform Assembly, at Saratoga, N.Y., Rev. Herrick Johnson, D. D., of Chicago, presided. Rev. Joseph Smith, moderator last year of the Presbyterian General Assembly presented, among others, the following resolution: ---

"Resolved, that the Sabbath --- Sunday --- is a sign between God and man, and its reverent observance a mark of the nation, whose God is Jehovah."

There were present large numbers of very prominent leaders from different parts of the United States. These representative men from so wide a range of territory were unanimous in their agreement on the principles and measures set forth in the resolutions." --- Michigan Christian Advocate, Sept. 3, 1892.

The Congressional Record, of July 10 and 12, pages 6614 and 6695, gives an account of how Sunday, this offspring of the Catholic Church, the sign, symbol, or mark of her power, was adopted by Congress as the Sabbath of the United States, and thus became the sign, or mark, of American Christianity. Thus the mark of the beast has been received by the government of this great nation, and how long before it will be enforced, as foretold in Rev. 13: 16, 17? "Whenever they --- the Catholics - -- are willing to co-operate in resisting the {p. 318} progress of political atheism, we will gladly join hands with them." Christian Statesman, organ of National Reformers.

We have seen that the Catholics have gladly united in securing legislation in favor of Sunday. Protestantism was a separation from Romanism. What will this reuniting with Rome be but the undoing of the Reformation? and Protestantism is rapidly drifting Romeward, whether men perceive it or not. From a recent editorial of the Independent, the most influential Protestant paper in America, I takes few extracts. Protestants have no right to deny that the church of Rome is a true church. Were Protestants bearing false testimony against her when they did so? If so, they ought to apologize for doing so wickedly.

"It is a delight to us," says the Independent, "to see the crowded churches, which are doing God's work, if not quite in our way." If the Catholic Church is a true church, and doing God's work, whose work was Luther and all the Reformers doing in opposing the true church? The only consistent conclusion to come to is, that in opposing a true church that was doing God's work, they were doing the work of the devil.

"The supremacy of the Pope," says the Independent, "seems to us a dangerous doctrine, but one can certainly be a good Christian and be a Pope, or a believer in popes." If the Pope is a good Christian, he tells the truth; for a good Christian will not lie. It follows, then, that when he says that he is the Vicar of Christ, and infallible, and when he speaks Ex-Cathedra, that is the voice of God, he tells the truth. It also follows that the Independent, and all others who do not obey that voice of God, as spoken through the Pope, are rebels against God.

These extracts are taken from the Independent of April 3, 1902. The Independent is a molder of Protestant opinion, and when they believe what the Independent teaches, they will return to the bosom of the mother church, which, according to the Independent, is a true church, and doing the work of God.

Here is another straw to show which way the wind is blowing: ---

"While such men as Cardinal Gibbons, Archbishop Ireland, {p. 319} and others have infused the American spirit into their church, they are often seen on the same platform with Protestant ministers. And here it is pertinent to note that the Presbyterian Church, as it will formally declare, a little later, no longer assumes to identify the Roman Catholic Church with the scarlet woman of the Apocalypse." --- Christian at Work, A leading Presbyterian paper of the United States.

If she is not the scarlet woman and mother of harlots, of Revelation 17, then the Presbyterian Church, and all other Protestants, have basely slandered her, when they proclaimed to the world that she was that same fallen, apostate church, drunken with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. Either these molders of Protestant thought in our day are mistaken, as to the character of popery, or else the noble men were mistaken, who at the peril of their lives, stood up for truth and liberty of conscience against the pope and his minions in their day. Those priceless principles of truth and liberty, which were won for us by our fathers with tears and blood, are being basely surrendered by those who should be their most able and staunch defenders. It is extremely interesting to the student of prophecy to note how often Catholic dignitaries are in consultation with the president, and thus through him shaping the policy of the nation.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

A picture of President McKinley, Cardinal Gibbons, and Admiral Dewey, is said to have appeared in most of the Catholic papers of America, headed, "The Highest Trio in the Nation." Underneath this picture is the following: ---

"The accompanying illustration marks a unique event in American history. The three figures pictured represent the highest dignitary in the Catholic Church, the highest official in the United States government, and the supreme officer in the American navy."

The original photograph of this scene was taken on the occasion of the presentation to Admiral Dewey of the sword voted to him by Congress. The picture was caught at the moment when Cardinal Gibbons was invoking the divine blessing. To the right of his eminence of Baltimore, stands President McKinley, with reverently bowed head, while to the {p. 320} left is the hero on Manila Bay. This is worthy of note. We see how the Catholics are rejoicing in the political prestige and influence they already have, and they can be depended upon to do all in their power to assist the national reformers to get their principles acknowledged, that the Lord should rule the nation through the church, knowing full well that politicians will conclude that God speaks loudest through the church that controls the most votes; and lately all the Catholic societies in the land have been united in one grand confederation in favor of the Roman Church, and the gentle politician is expected to lend a listening ear to their suggestions. Protestants who are clamoring for religious legislation, know not what they do.

The national reformers have not only formed a union with the Catholic element, but they have wooed and won the ladies of the W. C. T. U. The Lord ruling the nation, through the church, is a rapturous vision to the intelligent, refined Christian ladies of that magnificent organization; and the national reformers can depend upon them to assist to the utmost of their power to run this government into a religious political kingdom of Christ, and they have declared in national convention assembled, that "the Woman's Christian Temperance Union, local, State, national, and world-wide, has one vital, organic thought, one all-absorbing purpose, one undying enthusiasm, and that is, that Christ shall be this world's king. Yea, verily, this world's king in its realm of cause and effect --- king of its courts, its commerce; king of its colleges and cloisters; king of its customs and constitutions. The kingdom of Christ must enter the realm of law, through the gateway of politics."

Anciently, when they would make Christ a political king, he departed from them. John 6: 15. This experience should be a warning to the W. C. T. U. ladies, but for some reason they have not heeded it. Christ himself said, "My kingdom is not of this world" [John 18: 36]; but the dear ladies of the W. C. T. U. are bound to make him this world's king anyhow. It must be those Christian ladies have been bewitched by the national reformers, or they never would run so contrary to the plain word of their Master.

{p. 321}

That the kingdom of heaven should enter anything through the gateway of politics is another grievous error into which these noble ladies have been beguiled. "The kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" [Rom. 14: 17], and it comes in through the gateway of the heart, and not through the corrupt gateway of politics. They have been beguiled, snared, and taken, and are looking forward with glad anticipation when Christ and his gospel, as universal king and code, shall be sovereign in our government and political affairs, and the holy ministers, as the successors of the prophets, shall, as the mouthpiece of God, make known to the nation the will of the Lord. Then we will have such an exact likeness or image of the papacy, that it will take an expert to tell the two apart.

Not only are the National Reform Association, and the Roman Church, and the W. C. T. U. working unitedly to bring this to pass, but the gigantic movement called Christian Citizenship is imbued with the same spirit, and inflamed with the same ambition, as a few quotations will show: --- "Not until the kingdom of Jesus is established over our land and the world, and his teachings made the rule in public affairs, will the Christian Citizenship League have achieved its purpose to prepare the way of the Lord; and then it shall be found that not only the way for his coming has been prepared, but that He has indeed and in truth come" --- Christian Citizen, organ of the National Christian Citizenship League, December, 1896.

This is what the mother of harlots said in the fifth century, when she had gotten control of public affairs, and seated herself on the throne of the Caesars; but she was mistaken.

"We mean to lay hands on politics, we mean to wash politics clean, and clothe her in white raiment, and make her an obedient handmaid to the great King." --- Official Report Boston Christian Endeavor Convention, p. 214.

This is what the mother thought to do, but by meddling with politics she made her own white robes scarlet with sin.

"What is my work as a member of a Good Citizenship committee? --- It is to enthrone Christ in every town and city in the State, to have every mayor and councilman a Christian; then Christ will rule." --- Idem., p. 215.

{p. 322}

Let the fiat go forth that Christians only shall hold office, and behold, all the office seekers and political wire-pullers will put on a cloak of religion, be baptized, and join the church, and the millennium will dawn, and the political preachers will sing, "Glory, Hallelujah!"

An official description of the Christian Citizenship meeting of the Christian Endeavor convention, held on Capitol Hill, Washington, D. C., July 11, 1896, reads thus: ---

"Never before has our government permitted the area around the capitol, the very heart of the nation, to be used for other than governmental purposes; and indeed, a governmental purpose was that, since 50,000 represent nearly 3,000,000 young people, whose force of character will make them the country's governors before many a moon has passed. That grand exhibition of young manhood and womanhood is the clearest omen yet seen, of the coming time when Christ, whose right it is to reign, shall be supreme on Capitol Hill." --- Official Report, p. 289.

Reader, do you begin to see something of the gigantic combination, fired with pious zeal, to bring about this religious political rule in our government? But this is not all. The Barbers' Unions, Retail Clerks' Unions, and many other labor unions are clamoring for Sunday laws. We want Sunday surcease from toil. We cannot have it without more law than we already have; for if we close up our business on Sunday, and our neighbor does not, he will make a few dimes more than we do, and that will never do, so we must have a law compelling all to close up.

Samuel Gompers, president of the American Federation of Labor, speaking recently before the Presbyterian Ministers' Association, over which the Rev. Edward Warren presided, held at the Church of the Covenant, Washington, said that it is due to the organization of labor more than any other one feature, that there is less Sunday work than otherwise. "Is it due more to their influence than to the influence of the church?" one of the ministers inquired, and he replied, "Yes, sir." And he has lately been pleading before a congressional committee in favor of Sunday laws. When the mighty labor organizations get fully in line with the priests, preachers, and churches, how long will it be before the Sunday institution, {p. 323} the child of the papacy, the symbol, sign, or mark of her power, will be enforced upon all men? Then will they not be kind, liberal, and considerate toward those who may conscientiously differ with them as to which day should be observed as the Sabbath? The Chicago Tribune speaks with no certain sound on this point. It said: ---

"In 1900 bills were prepared in Massachusetts and New York for the purpose of allowing Jews who practiced Saturday closing to indulge in Sunday opening. These bills, however, were not passed. Perhaps it is well they were not, although it would seem to be only just to recognize the scruples and wishes of a class of American citizens who now number more than a million. It is well that there should be one day of rest for the whole population. Unanimity in this matter will have great value."

We see that the Sunday-law advocates are ready to depart from what to them seems right and just, that this symbol, sign, or mark of Rome's power may be enforced upon all without exception. This is the secular side of the Sunday crusade as expressed by the Chicago Tribune, a secular paper. Will not the kind-hearted, Christian ministers be more just and liberal that that? Listen to their voice, as heard through their representative, Dr. McAllister: ---

"Let a man be what he may, --- Jew, Seventh-day observer of some other denomination, or those who do not believe in the Christian Sabbath, --- let the law apply to every one, that there shall be no public desecration of the first day of the week, the Christian Sabbath, the day of rest for the nation. They may hold any other day of the week as sacred, and observe it; but the day which is the one day in seven for the nation at large, let that not be desecrated by any one, by officer in the government, or by private citizen, high or low, rich or poor." --- Dr. McAllister, Lakeside, Ohio, July, 1887.

Now let us read what God said should be: ---

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand or in their forehead, and that no man might buy or sell save he that had the mark [or name] of the beast [papacy] or the number of his name." Rev. 13: 16, 17. Any one can see {p. 324} that the one is the fulfilling of the other. The preachers and religionists receive the mark in the forehead --- mind --- as a divine institution. The irreligious will receive it in the hand. They will withhold the hand from labor on that day; not because they reverence it as a divine institution, but because they want a day of rest to enforce it upon everybody. Let no one buy or sell unless he receives the marl. how natural that will be, to put a boycott on those who will not yield to the demands of both the church and the world.

At a recent meeting of the Ministers Union, of Hoboken, N.J., the following was adopted: ---

"Whereas, Many of the trades people of our city openly and flagrantly violate the Sunday laws, by continuing their worldly and secular business on Sunday; and ---

"Whereas, Many trades people who now respect the law, and close their place of business on Sunday, are unfairly treated by, and lose much of their trade to, the law-breaking trades people; and ---

"Whereas, Many Sunday trades people who are robbed of their Sundays [they of their own free will work on Sunday for the sake of the money there is in it] want one day's rest in seven, and are willing to stop business on this day, provided they don't lose any money by doing so --- if other trades people do; and ---

"Whereas, The said violations of law are detrimental to the moral, religious, and financial [secular] welfare of our city: and ---

"Whereas, The church people are charged with being largely responsible for the present desecrated Sunday, by their apparent indifference, and by patronizing law breakers [Sunday breakers, do so no more] ---

"Therefore, We, the undersigned, disapproving of all such lawlessness, do solemnly promise to refrain from purchasing goods on Sunday, except in cases of necessity and mercy; and that, as far as possible, we will patronize the trades people who respect the law and close their places of business on Sunday."

So you see, it is held out to the Sunday keeper that he will be rewarded both in this world and in the world to come.

{p. 325}

What about the seventh-day man? He will have a universal boycott of his business, and the government bearing down on him with fines and imprisonment, and when milder measures fail, death will be the final resort. See Rev. 13: 15.

Why not keep two days? --- 'To whomsoever ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are." Rom. 6: 16. If we obey the papacy, and keep Sunday, we are the servants of the papacy. If we obey God and keep the Sabbath, we are God's servants. "Ye cannot serve two masters." Matt. 6: 24. The three Hebrew children were not forbidden to worship their own God, but they were commanded to worship the golden image. See Dan. 3: 1- 27. In worshiping the gods of Babylon, they would have repudiated the true God. So in keeping Sunday, the sign of papal power, we repudiate the Sabbath, the sign of God's power [Eze. 20: 12, 20], and so repudiate God himself. God's people will have to obey the Lord and suffer the consequences, whatever they may be. Many, not knowing the nature of religious bigotry, are inclined to make light of these things. To help these, I will give one example, out of many like ones: --- "Another case of religious persecution is reported to us from North Carolina. The victim is a Seventh-day Adventist, a cripple, who was trying to support himself and family by running a candy kitchen, in the town of Hickory. He sold peanuts and candy. Sunday, June 24, and was arrested the next day; and was sentenced to pay a fine of $25.00, or go to jail one month. Mr. Vaughn is a poor man, unable to pay his fine, and is probably in jail at the present time."

I will give one more example: ---

"One of the sisters of the Huntington church was called into court a few days ago, to answer for her faith. Several witnesses were called upon by the judge to testify, and they declared that they had seen this woman sweep her house, and do ordinary work in her house on Sunday. Her own children, aged thirteen and nine years, respectively, were called to the stand, and questioned by the judge as to their mother's working on Sunday. The children said, 'Mother keeps the Sabbath.' after reprimanding the lady, the judge said he hoped she would never be brought before him again for Sunday desecration." --- R. A. Underwood, in Keystone Gleaner.

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How much farther could religious intolerance go, as to be so disturbed, to have their holy, heavenly serenity of mind so rattled by a Christian lady sweeping her room in her own house on their holy, sacred Sunday, that they must hale her before the judge, and force her own children, of tender age, to testify against her? It is to be hoped their heavenly peace of mind returned after thus wreaking their vengeance on the presumptuous disturber of their spiritual repose on the venerable Sunday. These are not isolated cases; scores of seventh-day observers have, in this land of boasted freedom, been fined, imprisoned, and worked in the chain gang, for no other crime than working six days and resting on the seventh, according to the command of their God. "If they do these things in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry?" Luke 23: 31. If they do these things now, what will they do when they get the authority they are seeking for? "The dragon [the devil] was wroth with the woman [church], and went to make war with the remnant [last part] of her seed [children], which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Rev. 12: 17. My friend, brother, can you not see that the remnant people of God will be called upon to maintain the commandments of God against the devil and all his host? He is now drawing up his forces in line of battle, getting his big guns in position, in preparation for the final conflict, and occasionally we see a cloud of smoke, and hear the thunder of his cannon, as he fires a shot at the commandments of God and those who keep them. Faithful loyal soul, will you falter, waver now? Christ is calling for men and women now who love truth more than life. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they love not their lives unto the death." Rev. 12: 11. God's people will surely gain the victory in this last conflict. "And I saw as it were a sea of glass, mingled with fire; and then that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over hi image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God." Rev. 15: 2. Dear brother or sister, God's side is the winning side. Are you walking according to the commandments of God, or are you opposing them? We are told that persecuting people for conscience {p. 327} sake is contrary to the Declaration of Independence, and so it is. The constitution provides that there shall be no slavery or involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime, in the United States, or in any place over which the United States has jurisdiction; but that is now overridden, and slavery and polygamy both find a secure retreat beneath the folds of the starry banner.

Our fathers had great respect for the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, but a new generation of statesmen has grown up under the influence and teachings of the National Reformers.

" 'We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal; that is the electric cord in that Declaration that like the hearts of patriotic and liberty-loving men together; that will link those patriotic hearts as long as the love of liberty exists in the minds of men throughout the world. [Applause]" ---- Abraham Lincoln, Chicago, July 10, 1858.

A FEW UTTERANCES OF PRESENT-DAY STATESMEN.

"The Declaration has no application to the present situation. It was written by self-governing men, for self-governing men." --- Senator Beveridge, in U.S Senate, December, 1899.

"Resist the crazy extension of the doctrines that government derives its just powers from, the consent of the governed." --- Whitelaw Reed, Chicago, February, 1899.

"This nation has become a giant, who is no longer content with the nursery rhymes which were sung around his cradle." --- President Northrup, of the University of Minnesota, at the Chicago Peace Jubilee, October, 1898.

"The statement found in the Declaration of Independence, 'that all men are created equal,' is not true. The statement, 'that all government derive their just powers from the consent of the governed,' is not true, and never has been." --- Wm. D. Foulke, of Indiana.

"Governments derive their just powers from the consent of some of the governed." --- Senator O. H. Platt, of Connecticut, in the United States Senate, Dec. 19, 1898.

"The axiom, 'that governments derive their just powers {p. 328} from the consent of the governed.' is a baseless assumption." --- Lyman Abbott.

" 'All governments derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.' So wrote Thomas Jefferson. Do you remember what the Lord said to Joshua? --- My servant is dead. So is Thomas Jefferson." --- Rev. P. S. Henson, Chicago.

And so is the love of those grand truths written by Jefferson in the immortal Declaration of Independence. It is dead in the hearts of many of our lawmakers, never more to have a resurrection. We are now listening to the dragon voice of the beast with lamblike horns of Rev. 13: 11. We can no longer appeal to the Declaration or Constitution when our rights are invaded; for we are informed these were only nursery rhymes, sung around our cradle. Our only appeal is to God, and he still will not forsake his faithful people.

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S GETTYSBURG SPEECH, NOV. 10, 1863.

"Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, on this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any other nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that the nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this; but, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow, this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us, the living, rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us; that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain; that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom; and that 'government of the {p. 329} people, by the people, and for the people' shall not perish from the earth."

The proposition 'that all men are created equal' has nearly perished from the earth, and this nation has repudiated the proposition which Abraham Lincoln said it was brought forth to dedicate, and louder and louder will be heard its dragon voice as time rolls on.

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CHAPTER XIV.

THE EVANGELIST'S FAREWELL

Aug. 25, 1902. We are still at Coleridge, and have had a good hearing. Many are impressed with the truth heard at the tent, and some dear souls have already begun to obey God, and keep his commandments, for which we praise the Lord. We must close up next Sunday night, and go to the Lincoln camp meeting.

Perhaps a few incidents, and teachings of the tent workers, will be of interest to the readers: ---

One devoted sister would keep the Sabbath whenever the Lord would make it plain to her. "My sister, the Lord has already made it as plain as he could. He said the seventh day is the Sabbath; in it thou shalt not do any work. Please tell us sister, how the Lord himself could make it any plainer than that." Then she explained that her heart did not condemn her, and so she had confidence toward God. "Is the Word of God always right? --- Yes. Is your heart always right?" It seemed the dear sister wanted some token from the Lord, outside of his written word. We told her of the gentleman in Wisconsin, who was troubled on the Sabbath question, and determined to settle the matter once for all: 'I will kneel down and pray by this black stump, and if it is white when I am through praying, I will keep the seventh day as God commanded; but if not, I will take it as a token that God wants me to keep Sunday.' When his prayer was ended, the stump was black as ever, and he was happy in keeping Sunday. But will it suffice in the judgment, when the Lord will ask, "Why did you not keep my commandments?' for him to say, 'you did not turn that stump white, so I concluded you did not care whether I kept your commandments or not?' Such a dodge will be a poor refuge then. Will we fare any better if we dodge the commandments, by asking for some other token?"

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I met a very estimable lady today, and she was going by her inner consciousness. If we have inner consciousness, or any other consciousness that is an infallible guide, the Bible is not at all needed; its study would be a waste of time. All we would have to do would be consult our inner consciousness. God's word says that the seventh day is the Sabbath, and we ask our inner consciousness if that is so; and if we go according to our inner consciousness, we are simply exalting our own notions above the Word of the living God, and that is all. I find so many trying the token-and-heart dodge that I feel that I would not be doing my readers justice if I did not cite them to a scripture or two on the heart question: "The prophet that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? Saith the Lord." Jer. 23: 28. Does God's word say that the seventh day is the Sabbath? --- Ye. Is it then wheat? --- Yes. Brethren, let us choose the wheat in preference to the chaff. --- our own notions, tokens, and dreams.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" Jer. 17: 9. My sister or brother, maybe your heart has been deceiving you. Better trust the unerring Word of God than a deceitful heart. Once more: "He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool; but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered." Prov. 28: 26. He that walketh wisely will not trust in his own heart; that is certain. "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they that do His commandments." Ps. 111: 10. Now we all see that walking wisely is not walking according to our hearts or inner consciousness or tokens or dreams, but in walking according to the commandments of the Lord; and I can assure you that the Lord will not condemn any one in the judgment or any other place, for walking sincerely and truly in the pathway of His commandments. Let us all cheerfully and lovingly do so.

SHORT TALK ON THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.

We believe He will come again because He has said, If I go away, I will come again. John 14: 1- 3. To them who look for Him, He will appear the second time without {p. 332} sin unto salvation. Heb. 6: 28. He will come visibly. Matt. 24: 30. Every eye shall see him. Rev. 1: 7. He will come personally, "The Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first." 1Thess. 4: 16. "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." Acts 1: 11.

We believe Christ will come again, because he said so, and that the same personal Jesus will come again as he went into heaven; for the angels said so. Of course, we all believe exactly alike so far. "When the Son of man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him." Matt. 25: 31. We believe all the holy angels will come with Christ, and so do you.

What do all the angels come for? "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect." Matt. 24: 31. Glad day when the angels gather God's children home! That is the time when they will be caught up to meet the Lord, and be forever with Him. 1Thess. 4: 16- 18. That is the time we are to be rewarded. "Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. 22: 12. It is then that we put on immortality. "For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality." 1Cor. 15: 53. The coming of Christ is the glad coronation day; and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. 1 Peter 5: 4. "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." 2Tim. 4: 8. Do you love His appearing? Then a bright crown of righteousness awaits you at that day. The righteous will be glad to see the Lord come. "and it shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us; this is the Lord: we have waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation." Isa. 25: 9.

The wicked will be sorry to see Him come. "And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, {p. 333} and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman. and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains: and said to the mountains and rocks, Fall on us, and hide us from the face of Him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: for the great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" Rev. 6: 15- 17.

To which class do you belong? The Lord is now calling for you to be on His side. "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. " Rev. 22: 17. Brother, sister, heed the invitation, and heed it now. "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power." 2Thess. 1: 7- 9. Is it any wonder the wicked dread the coming of Christ? Do you dread the coming of the Lord? Then it is because you are not reconciled to Him. "We pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2Cor. 5: 20. We as believers in God's word must agree that the coming of the Lord is the greatest event, both to the righteous and the wicked, this world ever has seen or ever will see. Day of joy and salvation to the righteous; day of wrath and destruction to the wicked! Did the Lord give warning concerning the coming flood? --- Yes. Did He warn the Ninevites of their danger? --- Yes. Did He warn Jerusalem of coming doom? --- Yes. Shall the great day of wrath come upon all the world without one note of warning? --- No. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2: 1. Is this message now due the world? --- Yes. Are you sounding it forth to the world? If not, you are not doing your duty.

The prophet cries out, "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near and hasteth greatly." Zeph. 1: 14. Somebody must say that. are you saying it? If not, why not? The angel cries out, {p. 334} "Fear God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is come." Rev. 14: 7. And another angel followed him. and a third followed them with the voice of warning. Rev. 14: 8- 12. And then comes the Son of man on the white cloud. Rev. 14: 14. Thus the coming of the Lord is preceded by a threefold message of warning to all the world. It is now going, and it has come to you. Are you ready to meet the Judge of all the earth? We protest unto you this night. Prepare to meet thy God, O Israel; for His coming is nigh at hand, even at the doors. Do we know that? --- Yes. We know it by the signs the Lord has given. "When ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors." Matt 24: 33.

THE SIGN OF THE TIMES.

What questions did the disciples ask? --- "Tell us when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?" Matt. 24: 3. Did the Lord give them any sign concerning the destruction of Jerusalem? "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know [be in no doubt about it] that the desolation thereof is nigh." Luke 21: 20. The Roman armies are called the abomination of desolation in Matt. 24: 15. Is this a plain, literal sign that all could see and understand? --- Yes. Do you think the signs concerning His coming and the end of the world will also be simple and easy to be understood? --- I think so don't you? Let us see: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world, for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." Matt. 24: 14. The end of what? --- The end of the world. Not that the world should be converted by the preaching; it was simply to be a witness to all nations, that they might be without excuse. Then, not a thousand years after; but then shall the end come. If all the professed Christians in the world would give as much for the spread of the gospel as they do for liquor and tobacco, this work could be done in less than one year; and Christ would come, and take His people home. What other signs did Christ give concerning the end of the world? The sun should be darkened, the moon should not give her light, and the stars should fall {p. 335} from heaven. And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven. Matt. 24: 29, 30.

Has the sun been darkened? --- Yes; May 19, 1780, was a terrific dark day. Cows came home at noon; chickens went to roost. The time could not be told by watches, in the open air, and everything wore the appearance of gloom and night. The Connecticut Legislature was in session, and it was necessary to have lights, as in the night, in order to do business. Noah Webster, in his Unabridged Dictionary, says, "The true cause of that darkness is unknown." --- Article "Dark Day," edition 1869

Did the stars fall? --- Yes; on Nov. 13, 1833, and was a most wonderful fulfillment of this prophecy. Professor Olmstead, of Yale, says it was the most magnificent display of celestial fireworks ever seen by man, that we have any record of.

The Rockingham Virginia Register called it a rain of fire; and Reverend Talmage said there were balls of fire, lines of fire, streams of fire, coursing through the heavens. Thousands were on their knees, praying to God, believing that the last day had indeed come.

Did the Lord say that the sun should be darkened? --- Yes. Was it so? --- Yes. Did the Lord say that the moon should not give her light? --- Yes. Was it so? --- Yes; for the night after the dark day was so intensely dark that a piece of white paper held a few inches from the eyes could not be distinguished from the darkest velvet. Did the Lord say that stars should fall from heaven? --- Yes. Have they fallen at the right time and in the right manner to fulfill the prophecy? --- Yes. How were the stars to fall? "And the stars of heaven fell unto earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken with a mighty wind." Rev. 6: 13. Is that the way they fell? --- Exactly so; and what comes next? "And the heaven departed as a scroll, when it is rolled together." Rev. 6: 14. Then where do we stand tonight? --- Right between the falling of the stars and the departing of the heavens.

Do you believe it, sinner? Do you believe it, formal professor, who has a name to live and is dead, whose name is legion because you are many? --- No, you don't believe it; {p. 336} for if you did, you would break off your sins by acts of righteousness, and get ready for the coming of the Lord. Did the antediluvians believe the flood was coming? --- No. Did their unbelief prevent their impending doom? --- No. Will our unbelief of the truth in our day prevent the coming of the Lord? --- Hardly. Let us heed the exhortation: "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon him while He is near." Isa. 55: 6. That means that the time is nigh at hand when the Lord will not be near and cannot be found. How shall we seek him? "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon him... for He will abundantly pardon." Isa. 55: 7.

But I must cite you to some more signs. What should take place in the time of the end? "But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book." how long? --- "Even to the time of the end." Then what shall happen? --- "Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." Dan. 12: 4. Are we living in an age when knowledge has marvelously increased? --- Yes. Time would fail to tell of the telephones, electric lights, electric cars, air ships, and the wonder of wireless telegraphy by means of which men can communicate with each other across the mighty ocean without even a wire between, and a thousand other things. Suffice it to say that the achievements of our day in every branch of human research are almost divine, and we enjoy such a flood of knowledge and light as would dazzle the eyes of any former generation. Did the Lord say that knowledge should be increased in the time of the end? do we, in our day, see this word of the Lord fulfilled in a marvelous manner? Then where are we today? --- In the time of the end, or in a time near the end. This is so plain that a man, to doubt it must doubt his own eyesight; yet we can shut our eyes to sight, and remain in darkness if we want to.

What was to be the condition of the nations? "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged; and that thou shouldst give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and to them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth." Rev. 11: 18.

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Are the nations watching each other with jealous eyes, just now? --- Yes. What should these angry nations prepare for? "Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles: Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears; let the weak say, I am strong." Joel 3: 9, 10. When is the work to be done? When the day of the Lord is near. Verse 14. Are we building warships today, before one of which all the fleets of the past would go down in sudden and complete ruin and death? --- Yes. Are we inventing engines of destruction so deadly and destructive to human life that it makes all former warfare mere child's play? --- Yes. Are we training more men for battle and blood than was ever known in any former age of the world? --- Yes. Are we arming them, and teaching them how to scientifically handle those awful engines of destruction, slaughter, and death? You say that's so. The facts compel every man to say, Yes. Then is the prophecy to prepare war being fulfilled before our eyes? --- Yes. Did the Lord say this should be when the day of the Lord is near? --- Yes. See Joel 3: 9- 14. Then is the day of the Lord near? I say, Yes, with all my heart. What do you say? What will this war preparation result in? "and I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the king of the earth, and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty." Rev. 16: 13, 14.

"Thou shalt be visited of the Lord of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest and the flame of devouring fire." Isa. 29: 6. Are we at the present time visited with cyclone, flood, fire and flame, earthquake, and volcanoes, until the world stands aghast at the fearful work of the destroying elements? --- Yes. Then is this scripture, in a startling manner, being fulfilled right now before our eyes? It looks like it, doesn't it.

What message does God send the rich men? "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you." James 5: 1. Why weep and howl? --- Because they have heaped treasure together for [in] the last {p. 338} days. Revised Version. Have individuals heaped up treasures and fortunes in our day, so vast as to eclipse the riches of all past generations? --- Yes. Have these rich men heaped these vast treasures together into gigantic combinations called trusts, making such mighty heaps of wealth as to bewilder the imagination? --- Yes. Did the Lord say the rich men should heap treasures together in the last days? --- Yes. Then are we in the last days? --- I am convinced that we are. Are you not? If not, why not?

How is every dollar of wealth produced? --- by labor. Can any man in a lifetime produce so great wealth as these rich men possess? --- No, nor begin to. Other men's labor produced it, and they got it. how? --- "Behold, the hire of the laborers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of the Sabaoth." James 5: 4. Does the Lord say that they get this wealth by fraud? --- Yes. Is that the way they got it and are getting it today? --- Yes. Did the Lord say that the cry of the laborer would be heard because his just hire is kept back by the rich men by fraud? --- Yes. Is the voice of the cry of the laborer heard in the land? --- Yes. Hundreds of thousands of laborers are crying mightily, with a loud voice, for relief, just this minute. Hear the cry, for instance, of the anthracite coal miners and many others. Then, are we living in the last days when these things were to be? --- Yes. To what does the Lord point us for comfort and hope? --- "Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord." James 5: 7. "Be ye also patient: stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh." Verse 8. "Behold, the Judge standeth before the door." Verse 9. Yes, brethren, the coming King is at the door. Glorious day, soon to dawn, when the King will deliver His people from this present evil world! He will wipe away all tears from their eyes, and take them to His right hand where there is fullness of joy forever more. "And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isa. 35: 10. Amen. Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus.

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In the light of the emphatic fulfillment of these latter day signs, what does the scoffer say? --- "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise [sign] of His coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." 2Peter 3: 3, 4. What draws out these words from the latter day scoffers? --- Somebody is showing by the fulfilling signs, that the coming of the Lord is nigh at hand, and then the scoffers cry out, "We don't see any sign." but see, my friend, all these things coming on the earth exactly as foretold by the prophets of God. "O, these things have been happening ever since the creation," Reply the scoffers. Is the message of the soon coming of the Lord being heard everywhere, just now, in all the land? --- Yes. Are the scoffers, from the pulpit to the saloon, saying just what God said they would say in the latter days? --- Yes. Dear friends, are you among the scoffers, saying, "Where is the sign of His coming," or are you among the number that see the day approaching? Heb. 10: 25.

Every Sunday at 5 P.M. we have temperance meetings. The people have taken a great interest in them. Brother Ryan discoursed on healthful living, especially the importance of proper diet, Brother Garton on ventilation and the importance of pure air, while I spoke on a number of topics, such as tea, coffee, tobacco, and whisky; while the ladies --- Sisters Garton and Cox --- recited temperance pieces for us.

Appetite, money, and politics are the three great rocks upon which King Alcohol has erected his throne of empire, by which he rules the children of men. Of these three, appetite is the chief corner stone. Take away the influence of money or politics, or both from the old tyrant, and his power over men would be greatly weakened; but as long as men were enslaved by appetite they would serve and worship him still, but deliver men from the power of appetite, and his power over them would be gone. It follows that self control delivers from the control of the rum demon. then to overthrow King Alcohol's seat and throne, we must teach men self-control. When and where should this training begin? --- In earliest childhood and in the home. The home against {p. 340} the saloon, and the saloon against the home, and the home properly organized, will win the battle every time.

J. H. Kellogg, an eminent physician, said that the relation of food to intemperance is well worthy of most careful and earnest consideration. It is perhaps not going to far to say that cooks make more drunkards than saloonkeepers. It is a well-demonstrated fact that a great variety of foods eaten at one meal often cause fermentation in the stomach, and then our stomach becomes a real still, and generates real alcohol, and then we become dizzy and light headed, and we don't know what is the matter. We are a little drunk on homemade whiskey, that is all. Is it any wonder that our youth reared in this way develop an appetite for stimulants? Many parents, if the baby cries, will dose it with some kind of soothing syrup, which contains more or less alcohol, and thus by the loving hand of the mother, a love of drink is being created in the innocent, which develops into a monster, that ruins the child, and brings down mother's gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. Mothers, as you love your little ones, discard the paregorics and soothing syrups.

We have on our tables, sharp biting relishes, such as horseradish and the like. We indulge in pickles, spices, peppers, and fiery sauces, and wash our food down with hot tea and coffee, and, as a result, our stomachs are inflamed, our blood feverish and nerves irritable, just in a condition to crave stronger stimulants and more. We have so perverted our appetites that food cooked in a healthful, natural way, without these fiery condiments tastes flat and insipid. We have created a taste that delights in pungent tobacco and fiery alcohol, and is it any wonder that so many of our sons are weak in self-control, and fall an easy prey to the destroyer, or, that five hundred of our lovely daughters are seduced from virtue's paths every week, and enter upon the path of shame, that leads so quickly down to the chambers of death?

The ruin begins in the home. Let the mothers discard the fiery condiments. Let them become intelligent and enlightened in regard to the relation diet has to the mental, moral, and physical well being of their children, and become skillful in preparing wholesome food in a natural, palatable way, and their sons and daughters will grow up with vigorous {p. 341} bodies, placid nerves, and sound minds, capable of self-control; and pungent tobacco and fiery alcohol will be disgusting to them, and the whisky vendor will be out of a job. We let Brother Ryan dwell particularly on the evil effects of tea and coffee on the human system; but I wish to emphasize one thing: Tea and coffee cost the professors of Christianity, in this country, many millions of dollars every year. It is not well for Christians to squander the Lord's money on a harmful indulgence. This immense sum of money would bring light and joy to many darkened homes, and cause thousands of widows to sing for gladness of heart. If the professors of religion would deny themselves of these costly indulgences, and spend the money in feeding the hungry and clothing the naked, it would do more for God and humanity than all the preaching that has been done in the last hundred years. Dear brothers and sisters, let us try it. We do not see how any Christian can indulge in tobacco. It pollutes his breath and defiles his body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. My tobacco-using brother, do you think your breath would be tolerated in heaven? I knew an old tobacco user in Minnesota, who, when he was sick, was put into a hot-sheet pack, and the wife declared that the sheet stank so of tobacco that had oozed out of the old gentleman's system that it made her sick when she hung it on the line to dry. When her husband discovered that he was pickling himself in tobacco like that, he discarded the vile weed. Young man, keep yourself pure and clean, and do not defile yourself with the vile stuff. How would you like it if your best girl would smoke and chew tobacco? Don't you think she has as good a right to be a decent, clean husband, as you have to a pure wife? My brother, if you are a Christian, you are a representative of Christ. Do you properly represent Him by puffing tobacco smoke in the faces of decent people, or in chewing a quid? This tobacco habit is a gigantic evil. President Grant, Frederick the Second of Germany, Senator Hill, of Georgia, and so many others, died of cancer in the mouth, caused by using tobacco. If you use it, it may serve you in the same way.

My brother, let us, as Christians, set such a clean, pure example that it will be a protest against the degrading, {p. 342} disease-producing, death- dealing tobacco habit. The good friends are often surprised, and greatly exercised that we don't eat chicken and other dead carcasses. Well, we don't think it is the best thing to make a cemetery or graveyard of our internal anatomy; and then the animals are becoming so diseased that it is positively dangerous to eat them. We find in our travels among the good farmers, that if the hog cholera gets into the neighborhood they frequently hustle their hogs to market, fearing that the hogs will die before the butcher gets a chance at them. My pork loving friend, what do you think of the possibility even of eating dead swine, full of cholera germs? We prefer to feast on a diet of fruits, grains, and vegetables, --- the bill of fare provided for Adam and Eve by our Father in heaven when He set them up in housekeeping in the garden of Eden. See Gen. 1: 29. We believe that the Lord gave us the ideal bill of fare in the beginning, and the closer we cling to it, the better for us. Daniel and his fellows tried it, and found it to be conducive, in an eminent degree, to physical and mental well being. Please read the account in the first chapter of Daniel. When the Lord would lead the children of Israel into the typical promised land, He excluded flesh meat from their diet, until they lusted after it in the wilderness. He did it doubtless for their good, and now as we are about to cross over into the real promised land, it may be for our good that we discard the flesh of dead animals, especially as we are warned not to lust after evil things as they also lusted. 1Cor. 10: 6. And we know that one of the evil things they lusted after was the flesh pots of Egypt. Num. 11: 4. Elijah was translated without seeing death, and is therefore a type of those who shall be translated at the coming of Christ. 1Cor. 15: 51- 53. We notice that when the ravens fed him they brought him bread and flesh, morning and evening [1 Kings 17: 6]; but when he got nearer translation, and the angel fed him, flesh was omitted from his bill of fare. 1Kings 19: 5- 8. Is not that an intimation from our Heavenly Father that when we get near our translation, we had better omit the flesh of dead animals from our bill of fare? My brother, sister, what do you think about it?

August 27 finds us till at Coleridge, doing what we can {p. 343} to persuade men to prepare to meet the soon-coming King. Although many are deeply impressed that we are preaching the truth, few as yet have decided to go with us to the celestial City. It is such a cutting off from every worldly thing to keep the Lord's Sabbath. The piece of land, the five yoke of oxen, and the wife are in the way. They seem to lack faith in God to let go of everything, and fall on the stone and be broken. Often we pray the Lord to deliver the captive, and set the prisoner free. It is our duty to preach the word of God, and it is the hearer's privilege to accept or reject it. The promise assures us that. "He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him." Ps. 126: 6. "Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord. God, wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." Eze. 18: 31, 32.

FOR MANY YEARS

I have been marching under the banner of the great Prince. I have seen something of the storm and the battle. I have seen something of the goodness of the Lord. In early life I was thrown into the company of the wild and reckless. My lot was cast among those who drank of the flowing cup, and enjoyed themselves at the card table, and rejoiced in the ways of sin. I did not choose such associations, though I was surrounded with them; but I found that the grace of God was sufficient to keep my feet from falling into the snare laid for them by the enemy of all righteousness. I have found Jesus a comfort in sorrow, a refuge from the storm, a very present help in time of trouble. I have found Him to be a light in the darkness, a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. I have found that all His ways are ways of pleasantness, and all His paths are peace, and the Blessed hope He sheds abroad in the soul of eternal life when Jesus comes. O, who, for a single moment, would be without it? That blessed hope so soon to be realized. That land of rest --- how it looms up before the eye of faith. How it rejoices the heart of the weary, thirsty pilgrim, as he travels over the hot plains of earth, toward the shining city! How he longs {p. 344} for the shady fountains and cooling streams of that fair land! How his heart bounds for joy at the thought of the welcome home that awaits him at the end of his way! How he turns with delight from the dark scenes of earth to the bright scenes of heaven! By faith he beholds the verdant fields of the holy and glorious land. He thinks of the white robe, the palms of victory, and crowns of glory, and his heart rejoices. He thinks of the Father and the Son, of the holy angels, and the white-robed throng before the throne, and he longs to join in the everlasting song of glory to the Lamb.

How the humble child of God rejoices to know that the long, dark night of sin and sorrow is almost over; that the bright beams of the golden morning are bursting through the darkness; that the warfare is almost ended; that the battle is almost o'er, and that rest, sweet rest in heaven, is so near, when "the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away." Isa. 35: 10.

"And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever." Rev. 5: 13.

What a glad day when every creature that has life will be full of glory and of God! Dear reader, are you not glad that that day is near? What are bolts and locks, and prison bars, scourgings and stripes, and death itself, to the man who is filled with such a hope as this?

"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace: and the God of love and peace shall be with you." 2Cor. 13: 11.

N. R. --- Although the conversation and sermons in this book have been somewhat revised for publication, the reader may rest assured there is not an incident recorded which did not actually occur.

N.R. --- Because of the high esteem in which Dr. A. C. Meilicke and Anna Meilicke, his wife, are held by the writer, this little book is dedicated to them.

Addendum by the transcriber, Thank God I made it through this. A. Maertens 11-10-02.

 

last update 11-25-2002