March 11, 1889

“Front Page” The Signs of the Times, 15, 10.

E. J. Waggoner

Commenting upon the European war cloud and the recent visit of the Duke of Cambridge to Spain, the London Post dwells upon the necessity of keeping Gibraltar and Malta impregnable, and hints at the sending of heavier and better guns to those strongholds.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.20

“For the second time in the history of the world,” says the Standard, “a bishopric has been declined. The first instance, so far as known, was that of John Hooper, in England, about three hundred years ago. The second is that of Dr. Henry Satterlee, of New York, who declines the Episcopal bishopric of Michigan.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.21

March 2 was the Pope’s seventy-ninth birthday, which he celebrated by receiving a number of Cardinals, who tendered their congratulations. In reply the Pope said that it was impossible for him in the present position of the Papacy to perform his duties as the head of the church in an independent manner. He complained of the delay in the granting of royal exequaturs to the Italian bishops, and said his appointments were subjected to scrutiny. He referred to the oppressions of the new Penal Code, and the suppression of the funds of fraternities.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.22

The Standard (Baptist) complains that in Washington City “the first day of the week is not the day of repose required by the fourth commandment.” If by this the Standard means that the first day of the week is not the seventh (for that is the one specified in the commandment), the statement certainly cannot be disputed; but if by it the Standard means that Sunday is not observed as required by the fourth commandment, it only remains to say that the fourth commandment says nothing of Sunday observance.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.23

No Christian is ever called upon to meet any temptation single-handed and alone. In every such moment the Lord Jesus Christ is an ever-present help. He “is a Friend that sticketh closer than a brother.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.24

“Touched with a sympathy within,
He knows our feeble frame;
He knows what sore temptations mean,
For he has felt the same.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.25

This sympathy may be secured for the asking; yes, our Lord makes a standing offer of it, and the tried and tempted soul need only accept it; and with the sympathy comes strength and deliverance to the trusting soul; for we have the blessed assurance that God is faithful and will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able; but will with every temptation also make a way of escape, that we may be able to bear it.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.26

Right Rev. Edward King, D. D., Bishop of Lincoln, England, is accused of violating the laws of the Church of England for praying towards the east, using altar lights, using a mixed chalice, i.e., a communion cup containing wine and water, and other Papal abominations. The Bishop was brought to trial before the Archbishop of Canterbury and a council of all the provincial bishops, but denying the jurisdiction of the court, a further hearing has been postponed till the 12th inst.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.27

“It is believed that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of persons in New York City,” says the Observer, “who were members of the church before they came here to reside, but who have not connected themselves with any church in the city.” The reason assigned by the Observer is the numerous Sunday attractions! We presume that this will be regarded by many as another evidence that Sunday attractions ought to be prohibited by law, in order that Christians may not be kept away from church.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.28

The Lutheran Observer in a recent article entitled “The Continental Sunday” says:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.29

“Sunday is a great holiday of the German nation-the day devoted to pleasure and amusement.... Nor is Sunday regarded and observed in a different manner by the religious part of the community. Although a small proportion of them attend church in the forenoon, even the pious among them have no thought of it as a sacred day.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.30

And what is a remarkable about this, we should like to know. Indeed, it seems very strange that anyone should regard Sunday as sacred. Nowadays people generally know that its observance is not enjoined in the Scriptures, and it is little wonder that its false claims to sanctity are so generally disregarded.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.31

Whatever the real sentiments of Cardinal Gibbons may be, it is certain that nobody can talk better than he on civil and religious liberty. At the dedication of a Catholic Church in Baltimore, January 27, he said:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.32

“We were informed recently by the daily newspapers that a certain antichristian Sunday-school was organized in the city for the purpose of advocating an infidel doctrine. Several ministers appealed to the municipal authorities to suppress the school. For my part, I would be sorry to see the arm of the civil law used for the suppression of the school. Coercion is not conversion. Our divine Saviour never had recourse to the arm of law or the sword in teaching his doctrine. The only weapons we ought to use are the weapons of argument and persuasion in dealing with the school. The sword I would draw against the enemy of Christ would be the sword of the Spirit.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.33

It is very probable that the Cardinal speaks his own personal feelings in this matter; but, unfortunately, he is a part of a vast religio-political machine that has never acted on such principles, and he cannot alter either its record or its present condition, nor can he carry out the course that he professes to believe in.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.34

“The Necessity of Forgetting” The Signs of the Times, 15, 10.

E. J. Waggoner

Said the apostle Paul to the Philippians: “This one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:13, 14.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.35

So much is said in the Bible about remembering, that many are in danger of losing sight of the fact that it is a duty sometimes to forget. It is a great thing to learn how to remember, but it is an equally great thing to learn the art of forgetfulness. One reason why so many fail to make advancement in the Christian life is because they have never learned how to forget. They think that one can forget only as the thing gradually fades from the mind, not realizing that they have to put forth positive effort in order to forget, as well as to remember.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.36

It will scarcely be questioned by anyone that scenes and acts of wickedness are to be forgotten. When the sin has been confessed and forgiven, then the mind should turn from it. True, the individual should never forget that he has been taken from a horrible pit, nor that he stands only by faith, having no strength in himself; but if he allows his mind to dwell upon the specific acts of sin, one of two things, and possibly both, will result. Either he will be led to doubt that he has been forgiven, or else he will be impelled by the force of habit and association, to the commission of the same things again. An impure thought cannot find lodgment in the mind without leaving a stain. We have known many persons to cheat themselves out of a great blessing that God had for them, simply by keeping their minds fixed on the sin, and letting that eclipse the love of God. It is a great thing to forget, even while retaining sufficient remembrance to appreciate at its true value the wonderful love of God in pardoning sin.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.37

Another thing that it is most necessary to forget is that which may have been said against us. If uncharitable remarks have been made, to remember them is like taking to one’s self a deadly poison. Nothing is more deadening to spiritual life; for the fact that such things are not forgotten proves that they are not forgiven, and if they are not forgiven that is an evidence that the soul is not rejoicing in the love of God. When God forgives us, he puts upon us his own righteousness in place of the sin, and then treats us as though we had never sinned; and if we obey the injunction to forgive one another even as God hath for Christ’s sake forgiven us, we shall treat the one who has offended as though he had always done us kindness instead of injury. Without this, the peace of God cannot rule in the heart.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.38

Another cause of stumbling is the failure to forget the good deeds that have been done. This is scarcely less fatal than to remember the specific acts of sin. Sometimes through the grace of God we are enabled to accomplish a really good work, which gives us great joy. But then, instead of thanking God that he has done something with us, we insensibly take to ourselves some of the glory, and congratulate ourselves over our success. Instead of going on in the same strength to gain other victories, we sit down and look at what has been done, or else, going on, we keep looking back, and so stumble and fail. Nobody can expect to make any headway in a race if he keeps looking back over his shoulder. If he does so, he cannot fail to stumble over some object lying in his path, or else his course will be very crooked. He who is running the Christian race should heed these words of the wise man:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.39

“Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and all thy ways shall be order aright [margin]. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.” Proverbs 4:25-27.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.40

But how shall we forget? Many would forget, but they do not know how. They take hold of the thing and resolutely attempt to force it out of their mind, but that only fixes it the more firmly. Well, the secret of forgetting is very simple. Forget one thing by thinking of something else. It is impossible for the mind to contemplate two things at the same time. Now if you wish to forget something bad, think of something good. Forget the things that are behind by looking toward the things that are before. If you have been able to do a good work, thank God for his help, and in the strength of that help go on to do another good work, giving your whole mind to it. There is a prize before us, even the prize of “the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.” This high calling is holiness of life, godliness; it is above us, and we cannot climb toward it by looking down at the path we have already trod.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.41

“No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Of course not, and he never can be until he looks straight forward instead of back. If a man at the plow should keep looking back, his plow would keep continually running out, and he could not plow at all. He would make no more headway than a man would who should try to run a race and at the same time look over his shoulder. Therefore, as he who has called us is holy, let us resolutely press toward that mark, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.” W.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.42

“The Gospel the Power of God” The Signs of the Times, 15, 10.

E. J. Waggoner

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.43

There are few more comprehensive texts in the Bible than this. John 3:16 is another like it; either one of them could well be taken as the text for a sermon on almost any doctrinal subject, and they are of the greatest practical importance. They are vast treasure-houses, which can never be exhausted, but whose rich stores seem to increase in proportion as they are drawn upon.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.44

The text tells us that the gospel is the manifestation of God’s power, and before we consider the greatness of this power, and how it is applied, it may be well to note briefly what the gospel is. Primarily, the word means good news. It is the good news of a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord,-the good news of salvation. But a Saviour and salvation imply that somebody needs to be saved from something; and so the angel in foretelling to Joseph the birth of Christ, said: “Thou shalt call his name Jesus [Saviour]; for he shall save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21. But sin brings death, for James says that “sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death” (James 1:15), and Paul tells us that “the wages of sin is death.” Therefore since Christ came to save from sin, it is evident that he saves from death; and this is what the apostle says in Romans 5:8, 9: “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.45

When Christ saves from sin, he saves from the transgression of the law, “for sin is the transgression of the law.” 1 John 3:4. The law, of which sin is the transgression, is the law of ten commandments, for, says Paul, “I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had not known lust, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet” (Romans 7:7); and the only law which says, “Thou shalt not covet,” is the ten commandments.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.46

The tenth commandment is doubtless taken by the apostle to show how he was convicted of sin, because it is the only one of the ten the transgression of which is wholly in the mind, and it therefore affords the most direct proof of his later statement that “the law is spiritual.” David said: “I have seen an end of all perfection; but thy commandment is exceeding broad.” Psalm 119:96. We are told also that “the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Hebrews 4:12. To the same intent the wise man wrote:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.47

“Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.48

The injunction to fear God and keep his commandments, is based on the fact that God will bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, and derives its force from it. Therefore the text quoted is proof that the law of God has to do with every work and every secret thing. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. But we are not left to draw conclusions in this matter, for Jesus has told us plainly that murder may be committed in the heart, and that a single impure look and desire is a violation of the seventh commandment. See Matthew 5:21, 22, 27, 28. Solomon tells us, also, that “the thought of foolishness is sin.” Proverbs 24:9.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.49

These few texts are quoted for the purpose of showing the nature of sin, that we may the better understand the power that is required to save men from it. In addition to these we might note the Saviour’s statement that evil thoughts flow naturally from the human heart (Mark 7:21), and the words of God through the prophet, that the “heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” Jeremiah 17:9. As showing the loathsome nature of sin, and how completely it has fastened itself upon men, we quote the words of the Lord through Isaiah:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.50

“Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters; they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Why should ye be stricken any more? ye will revolt more and more; the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds, and bruises, and putrifying sores; they have not been closed, neither bound up, neither mollified with ointment.” Isaiah 1:4-6.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.51

To save people from their sins is to change all this. It is not merely to forgive the sins of the past, but it is to save from sins in the future, by changing the heart and the whole being,-to make a man entirely new. It is no less a work than to cleanse a man “full of leprosy,” or to raise the dead. The man who is saved from sin is saved from doing that to which his whole being naturally inclines. There is no earthly power that can do this. No man can change his own nature so that good thoughts will come naturally from the heart in the place of evil thoughts; no man has power to resist the fierce temptations that come through the lusts of his own heart, and that have been strengthened by long practice. Nothing but the power of God can do that; and that power is manifested in the gospel, which is the power of God unto salvation. Many doubt the efficiency of even this power, for they say it is impossible for them to overcome. “The preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18.SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.52

It is the blood of Jesus Christ that cleanses from sin. He “was delivered for our offenses, and was raised again for our justification.” Romans 4:25. In this the power of God to save believers is manifested. The death and resurrection of Christ show not only the great love of God, but, also, his power to redeem. Note the words of the apostle Paul to the Ephesians, to whom he wrote that he ceased not to pray for them,-SITI March 11, 1889, page 135.53

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places.” Ephesians 1:17-20.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.1

From this we learn that if we believe God, we shall know the exceeding richness of his power, even of that power which raised Jesus from the dead. The death and resurrection of Christ is God’s pledge to us that he will save us from sin, if we believe in him; and it shows the power that will be put forth in order to effect this. This was the thought in the mind of Paul when he wrote that he counted all things loss if he might win Christ, and be found not having his own righteousness, “but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith; that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:9-11.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.2

To know the power of Christ’s resurrection, is to experience the working of that same power, in the removal of sin, which God wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead. Who could fail with this strength?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.3

It is of this power and its results that the apostle Peter speaks, when he says to us: “Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue; whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.” 2 Peter 1:2-4. This is an assurance that the divine power of God, exhibited in the resurrection of Christ, is amply sufficient to enable one to overcome all the lusts of the flesh This is what we are taught also in the following:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.4

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:4, 5.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.5

What is it that will bring to us this mighty power? Faith in Jesus Christ. Let the sinner but have an intense desire to be freed from the bondage of sin, and let him have the faith that the man “full of leprosy” had when he said, “Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,” and the Lord will say to him, as he did to the leper, “I will, be thou clean.” If Christ dwells in the heart by faith, the soul will be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit, according to the riches of the glory of God, and may “be filled with all the fullness of God.” See Ephesians 3:16-19. What greater power could one ask for than this? And the possession of this power is a sure antidote for sin, and a preserver against it, for sin is the working of Satan, and the resurrection of Christ from the dead marked his victory over Satan. He had entered into Satan’s house and bound him, and had taken all his armor wherein he trusted, so that when he ascended into Heaven he could say, “All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.” Matthew 28:18.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.6

And this power is continued so long as the person has faith. The gospel is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believeth. The same power that forgives the sin, and that changes the nature, will still remain to keep the soul from sin. Says Peter: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” 1 Peter 1:3-5. The power of God is the gospel of Christ, and the resurrection of Christ has begotten us unto a lively hope, because we know that the power of the gospel is the same power that brought Jesus from the dead, and is able to keep us, through faith, until the Lord returns.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.7

Let none say then that he cannot overcome any evil habit. “But it is a part of my nature, and I have no power to resist it.” Exactly, but the power of God can change the nature, and make a new man. It could change a leper, so that his flesh became like that of a child. It could give power to the man who was impotent from birth. More than this, it could raise the dead, even after the body had undergone decomposition, as in the case of Lazarus. All these things are done by the same power that raised Jesus, which is a pledge of all things that we need. Romans 8:32. The same Spirit that raised up Jesus from the dead, will, if it dwells in us, strengthen us with the same power against sin, and, having kept us through faith unto salvation to be revealed when Christ comes, will quicken our mortal bodies, so that as we are now in spirit made to sit in heavenly places in Christ, we shall then be made to sit at his right hand, clothed in glory according to the riches of his grace. “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.” W.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.8

“The Sabbath-School. Returning to Bondage” The Signs of the Times, 15, 10.

E. J. Waggoner

Old Testament History
(Lesson 12. March 23, 1889.)

1. After the covenant between God and Israel had been ratified, what did the Lord said Moses?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.9

“And the Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me into 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.” Exodus 24:12.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.10

2. What covered the mount, and what was its appearance?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.11

And Moses went up into the mount, and a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of Israel.” Verses 15-17.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.12

3. How long was Moses in the mount?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.13

“And Moses went into the midst of the cloud, and gat him up into the mount; and Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights.” Verse 18.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.14

4. Did he eat or drink during that time?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.15

“When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone, even the tables of the covenant which the Lord made with you, then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither did eat bread nor drink water.” Deuteronomy 9:9.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.16

5. When the Lord had finished talking with Moses, what did he give him?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.17

“And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God.” Exodus 31:18.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.18

6. What was on these tables of stone?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.19

“And the Lord delivered unto me two tables of stone written with the finger of God; and on them was written according to all the words, which the Lord spake with you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly.” Deuteronomy 9:10.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.20

7. Whose workmanship were the tables, and how were they filled?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.21

“And Moses turned, and went down from the mount, and the two tables of the testimony were in his hand; the tables were written on both their sides; on the one side and on the other were they written. And the tables were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, graven upon the tables.” Exodus 32:15, 16.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.22

8. What did the people say and do when they saw how long Moses was gone?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.23

“And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods, which shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings, which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, and of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people brake off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them unto Aaron.” Verses 1-3.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.24

9. What did Aaron do with the gold?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.25

“And he received them at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf.” Verse 4, first part.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.26

10. What did they call this golden calf?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.27

“And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” Verse 4, last part.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.28

11. What does the psalmist say of this?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.29

“They made a calf in Horeb, and worshipped the molten image. Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass.” Psalm 106, 19, 20.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.30

12. Before they could do this, what did they forget?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.31

“They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt; wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red Sea.” Verses 21, 22.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.32

13. How did they worship this image?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.33

“And they rose up early on the morrow, and offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play.” Exodus 32:6.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.34

14. What must we conclude as to the nature of this “play”? See notes.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.35

15. How did the people happen to make a calf to worship instead of the image of a man? See notes.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.36

16. What was the Egyptian calf-worship? See notes.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.37

17. How extensive was sun-worship anciently? and what was the nature of it? See notes.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.38

18.What did God think to do to the Israelites for their abominable idolatry? Exodus 32:9, 10; Deuteronomy 9:20.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.39

19. With what words did Moses plead for them? Exodus 32:11-13, 31, 32.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.40

20. Did the Lord grant his request?SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.41

“And the Lord repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” “And the Lord said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book. Therefore now go, lead the people unto the place of which I have spoken unto thee: behold, mine Angel shall go before thee; nevertheless in the day when I visit I will visit their sin upon them.” Verses 14, 33, 34.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.42

21. What immediate punishment did the people receive? Verses 19, 20, 26-28, 35.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.43

NOTES

In an article entitled, “Sun Images and the Sun of Righteousness,” in the Old Testament Student, January, 1886, Dr. Talbot W. Chambers calls sun-worship “the oldest, the most widespread, and the most enduring of all the forms of idolatry known to man.” And again: “In Egypt the sun was the kernel of the State religion. In various forms he stood at the head of each hierarchy. At Memphis he was worshiped as Phtah, at Heliopolis as Tum, at Thebes as Amun Ra. Personified by Osiris he became the foundation of the Egyptian metempsychosis.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.44

In “Religions of the Ancient World,” p. 21, Prof. George Rawlinson says: “No part of the Egyptian religion was so much developed and so multiplex as their sun-worship. Besides Ra and Osiris, there were at least six other deities who had a distinctly solar character.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.45

Concerning Osiris, the “Encyclopedia Britannica” (art. Egypt) says:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.46

“Abydos was the great seat of the worship of Osiris, which spread all over Europe, establishing itself in a remarkable manner at Memphis. All the mysteries of the Egyptians, and their whole doctrine of the future state, attached themselves to this worship. Osiris was identified with the sun.... Sun-worship was the primitive form of the Egyptian religion, perhaps even pre-Egyptian.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.47

But while Osiris was the Egyptian sun-god, or the chief representation of the sun, he was chiefly represented by a sacred bull, called Apis. On this the “Encyclopedia Britannica” (art. Apis) says:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.48

“According to the Greek writers, Apis was the image of Osiris, and worshiped because Osiris was supposed to have passed into a bull, and to have been soon after manifested by a succession of these animals. The hieroglyphics inscriptions identify the Apis with Osiris, adorned with horns or the head of a bull, and unite the two names as Hapi-Osor, or Apis-Osiris. According to this view the Apis was the incarnation of Osiris manifested in the shape of a bull.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.49

From these quotations it is easy to see why the Israelites made a golden calf, instead of an image of something else. They made the god and became the form of worship with which they had been most familiar in Egypt. And when they did this, they were simply engaging in sun-worship, the form of idolatry which in all ages has been the most universal rival of the worship of Jehovah.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.50

As to the nature of sun-worship, it will perhaps be sufficient to quote what the “Encyclopedia Britannica” says of Baal:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.51

“The Baal of the Syrians, Phoenicians, and heathen Hebrews is a much less elevated conception than the Babylonian Bel. He is properly the sun-god Baal Shamem, Baal (lord) of the heavens, the highest of the heavenly bodies, but still a mere power of nature, born like the other luminaries from the primitive chaos. As the sun-god, he is conceived as the male principle of life and reproduction in nature, and thus in some forms of his worship is the patron of the grossest sensuality, and even of systematic prostitution. An example of this is found in the worship of Baal-Peor (Numbers 25), and in general in the Canaanitish high places, where Baal, the male principle, was worshiped in association with the unchaste goddess Ashera, the female principle of nature.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.52

That is a mild statement of the case; and so when we read of the Israelites that “the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play” (Exodus 32:6), and learn that the word rendered “play” is the same as that rendered “mock” in Genesis 39:14, 17, we get a better idea of the heinousness of the sin of the Israelites.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.53

When it is remembered that the Egyptian calf-worship was sun-worship, and that Sunday was “the wild solar holiday of all pagan times” (North British Review, vol. 18, p. 409), and has its name “because the day was anciently dedicated to the sun, or to its worship” (Webster), the Heaven-daring nature of the sin of the Israelites, just after they had heard God’s holy law, and especially the first, second, fourth, and seventh commandments, is most strikingly set before us. A more perfect insult to the God who had delivered them from Egyptian bondage, that they might serve him, can hardly be imagined.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.54

One more point should be noted, to show how completely, in intent, the Israelites went back to Egyptian bondage, by their worship of the golden calf. A preceding quotation has shown that Ra and Osiris were intimately associated as leading representatives of the sun of Ra. Professor Rawlinson, in “Religions of the Ancient World,” p. 20, says:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.55

“Ra was the Egyptian sun-god, and was especially worshiped at Heliopolis [city of the sun]. Obelisks, according to some, represented his rays, and were always, or usually, erected in his honor. Heliopolis was certainly one of the places which were thus adorned, for one of the few which still stand erect in Egypt is on the site of that city. The kings for the most part considered Ra their special patron and protector; nay, they went so far as to identify themselves with him, to use his titles as their own, and to adopt his name as the ordinary prefix to their own names and titles. This is believed by many to have been the origin of the word Pharaoh which was, it is thought, the Hebrew rendering of Ph’ Ra-’the sun.’”-Ib., p. 20.SITI March 11, 1889, page 151.56

Thus the Israelites not only deliberately sunk themselves in the bondage of sin, but also more fully showed their willingness to return to bondage under Pharaoh, than when they sighed for the leeks and the onions of Egypt. Their deliverance from physical bondage was in order that they might be delivered from spiritual bondage, and was a representation of it; and when they had plunged into sin, they placed themselves in a worse bondage than any physical oppression could ever have been. Being overcome by the idolatry of Egypt, they virtually returned to the bondage of Egypt, “for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.” 2 Peter 2:19.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.1

“Back Page” The Signs of the Times, 15, 10.

E. J. Waggoner

The annual meeting of the stockholders of the Pacific Press Publishing Company will be held on Monday, April 22. A general State meeting will be held in connection with this meeting, and will begin Thursday, April 18. Further particulars will be given next week.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.2

Among the good things in this number of the SIGNS, we call the attention of our readers to the article on “Inspiration,” from the Occident. It is unusually healthful reading for these days, when “sound doctrine” in so many places is not loved nor endured.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.3

It is stated that fifty thousand foreign paupers and lunatics have entered the United States during the past six months through Canada. Perhaps such immigration as this may explain the face that while from 1850 to 1880 our population only doubled, the defective classes, including blind, deaf, and dumb, idiotic and insane, increased 400 per cent. The increase of the blind was from about 9,000 in 1850 to about 50,000 in 1880; of deaf and dumb, fro 10,000 to nearly 35,000; of idiots from 15,000 to over 75,000; of insane, from 15,000 to over 99,000. It is highly probable that the increase since 1830 has been even more rapid than prior to that date.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.4

Referring to the wine interests of California in a recent address before a committee of the Legislature, Charles A. Wetmore, Viticultural Commissioner of this State, said:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.5

“The people must be educated to understand the wine question. Just now the wine men are feeling a little blue. A great industry has been built up here, but the people will have to be educated to drink wine.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.6

And why must the people be so educated? Simply that the coffers of the wine growers and wine dealers may be filled with the price of that which “at the last biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.7

The following from the Christian at Work, we commend to the readers of the SIGNS, not as censure for the past, however, but as counsel for the future:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.8

“When you see a paragraph in your favorite paper that you don’t like, before you punish yourself for your impulsiveness by stopping a paper which your family want, sleep on it one night. It is the best way. If you are still dissatisfied, write a line to the editor and you may find the trouble lies all in your misdirected imagination, and not in the newspaper at all.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.9

We are at all times glad to hear from our readers, whether it be in the line of profitable questions, personal work, or items of interest. If you do not understand us, let us know.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.10

A correspondent wants some explanation of the words of Nathan to David. He writes:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.11

“Surely David’s sin was the greatest sin man could commit, and yet the Lord put away his sin, and said that he should not die. Could he have meant the second death? since all men must die once. Please explain.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.12

When Nathan went to David and spake to him the parable which the Lord had commanded him (2 Samuel 12:1-4), “David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man” who had so terrible wronged his neighbor, “and he said to Nathan, As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die.” “And Nathan said to David, Thou art the man.” Thus David had unwittingly pronounced sentence against himself. But when he confessed his sin, and expressed sorrow for it, Nathan said unto him, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die;” or the text might be paraphrased thus: “Since you have repented of your sin, the Lord has forgiven you, and your own sentence shall not be carried out against you.” The words, “Thou shalt not die,” meant only that he should not die for that sin, and evidently had no reference to total exemption from either the first or the second death.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.13

Evidently the editor of the Christian at Work uses tobacco; else what does he mean in the following clipped from that paper of February 21:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.14

“‘Next to the use of intoxicating liquors, the habit of using tobacco in any form stands at the front as the most damaging.”-Independent.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.15

“Oh, no! strike out ‘tobacco’ and insert ‘opium,’ and then go ahead.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.16

It is a sad thing when editors of Christian newspapers become apologists for tobacco; for this is certainly a plea for the file wheat. If it were not, the editor would be willing to have it remain in place opium in connection with it; he would not ask to have it struck out. Both are bad; it is difficult to say which is worse. Happy is he who is under the bondage of neither.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.17

The Baptist Standard, of Chicago, says:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.18

“The voice of God on baptism is all we need to know on the subject. The simple word of Scripture ought often to be put before the eye without a word of comment, and Baptists can afford on this matter to let the Bible speaks for itself. We saw, or rather heard, a Bible-reading of this sort (Dr. Bailey’s) given in one of our suburban churches; the leader quietly issuing the references and diligently refraining from application or inference. The affect of the whole was overwhelming. There was indeed nothing left to be said save this: ‘Is there anyone who, reading these passages over one by one, but think of anything else than of a immersion as the original and approved mode?’ To this query there was no answer, and the Bible-reading adjourned.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.19

Would the Standard be willing to have the Sabbath question settled in the same manner? And if not, why not?SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.20

The SIGNS only desires credit for what belongs to it; this, however, it does not always get. Nevertheless we find no fault with this. If our neighborSITI March 11, 1889, page 155.21

“Feels the want of powers
And plume himself from ours,
Why, then, we shall not be losers by the theft.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.22

We are glad if the truth is thereby extended. What we wish to say is this: Where the SIGNS has made some choice selection and given to credit therefor, we object to its being reprinted and credited to the SIGNS. It is not ours, and while it might do us honor if it were, we wish only such honor has rightfully belongs to us. We shall give credit for all articles for extracts of any length if we only know their source. Right wrongs and no one. “Honor to whom honor is due.” Selections are credited in italics; original articles, in SMALL CAPITALS.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.23

A writer for the Currier Dove (Spiritualist), refers to a report of a Spiritualist meeting in which, after the close of the remarks of the medium, the audience burst forth into singing,SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.24

“All hail the power of Jesus’ name,“SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.25

and says that it must have been because they did not realize the full meaning of what they saw on the. The writer then adds:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.26

“I say it with all seriousness, there is no name under heaven, the power of which we as a progressive people have greater reason to fear, then the name of Jesus, as used by religious people.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.27

We believe this; but it is an additional evidence that Spiritualism is of the devil. We read that the devils believe and tremble. When Christ was on earth he did much in the line of casting doubt devils, and on one occasion, the devils cried out saying, “What have we to do with the, Jesus thou Son of God? Art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” And then they besought him that he would not command them to go away into the “deep,” the abyss, thus showing their fear of him and their knowledge that his power was greater than theirs, and was against them. No; there is no name that Spiritualists who are bound to persevere in their ways, have more reason to fear than the name of Jesus. But still he is willing to receive even them if they will accept his offer of salvation; for unto all he says with a gentle voice, “Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.28

Says the Examiner (Baptist) of January 24, in referring to baptism other than by an ordained minister:-SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.29

“But it seems equally clear that to say baptism can never be performed by any but an ordained minister, is to go beyond the authority of the Scriptures, to which Baptist professed obedience in preference to any human authority. If any Baptist rule or tradition or usage is contrary to Scripture, so much the worse for the rule.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.30

And so we say, be the rule Baptist or anything else. But if the Scriptures are above any human authority to Baptists, why do they still hold to the man-made institution of the Sunday, the so-called Lord’s day. Is not the evidence of the Scriptures sufficient for the Sabbath? Is there any evidence for Sunday to be found in the sacred record? Yes; it is so much worse for the denominational rule which is contrary to Scripture, and it is so much the more worse for he who will blindly and stubbornly cling to such rule. The Bible is just a safe concerning the Sabbath as any other question.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.31

The Catholic Mirror of February 23 has an article on “Bonfires of Bibles,” in which it ridicules reports which have been circulated by Protestant newspapers about the burning of Bibles and Spain by Catholics. It speaks of those “ignorant and enough to accept the statements,” “of the gullibility of American Protestants,” and tries to throw discredit on the Bible societies by sneeringly asking, “Where are the Protestants made in Catholic countries by the distribution of Bibles?” But it is a noticeable fact that in the whole article, of about eight columns links, not one word of denial of reports is uttered. If the Protestant press has lied, why cannot the Mirror say so. It’s beating about the Bush is an evidence of the truthfulness of the report that Catholics and Spain to burn Bibles.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.32

But one glaring exaggeration, to use a mild term, occurs in the Mirror’s attempt to hide the intolerance spirit of its church. It refers to reports of Protestant missionaries in Catholic countries as “provender of highly seasoned stories about the delight of the poor wretches to escape the notice of the terrible priests long enough to peek into the Bible and discover the truth. This is the sort of stuff and rubbish that fills the columns of the average Protestant newspaper.”SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.33

It is not so. We are sorry to say that the average Protestant newspaper is often found apologizing for the Church of Rome, lauding her progress, or pleading for her co-operation. All such things as the Mirror charges them with is the exception, not the rule. Would to God that professed Protestants were Protestants in truth, to protest against the Romish error, which is eating out, like the gangrene, the very vitals of Protestant nations.SITI March 11, 1889, page 155.34