In the writings of the spirit of prophecy we find several times repeated in substance these words: “The science of salvation will be the song of the redeemed throughout eternity.” This thought is familiar to many. Let us consider for a few moments its meaning.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.1

From the time I first read these words, I had a longing desire to see either in the writings of the spirit of prophecy or in the Bible, something indicating clearly what the science of salvation is. We all know what it is in theory—God’s dealings with the children of men, his plan for their salvation. But not until a short time ago did I find the expression for which I had been looking for years. I will read it to you:—GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.2

“If you watch and wait and pray, Providence and revelation will guide you through all the perplexities you meet, so that you will not fail nor be discouraged. Time will outline the beauty and grandeur of Heaven’s plans. It is difficult for human minds to comprehend that God in his providence is working for the world through a feeble instrument. To know God in the working out of his providences is true science. There is much knowledge among men, but to see the designs of heavenly wisdom in time of necessity, to see the simplicity of God’s plan revealing his justice and goodness and love as searching out the hearts of men.... seems too wonderful for them to accept, and thus they fail to be benefited. But Providence is still in our world, working among those who are grasping for the truth. These will recognize the hand of God.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.3

PHOTO-Representatives from the West Indian Union

The true science of salvation is God working out his plan among the children of men. And the more clearly we discern the workings of providence in connection with the various experiences of life, the more fully we shall comprehend the science of salvation.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.4

Of John the Baptist the Saviour declared, “Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” John was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb. Yet when a committee from the Pharisees came to John to ask who he was, he replied, “I am the voice.” I am echoing a prophecy of Isaiah. That was all. His whole life was devoted to carrying out what God had declared.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.5

This man of God, upon whom the Holy Spirit had rested from his birth, had a remarkable experience when the Saviour came to him for baptism. He felt a heavenly influence surrounding the Messiah, such as he had never felt surrounding any other one whom he had met. Yet not even this sufficed to convince him that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah. John was watching for some special providence in confirmation of the impression that had come to his mind; and when after the baptism he saw the Spirit of God in the form of a dove descending from heaven and resting upon Jesus, then he knew for a surely that the impression he had had was divine; and he exclaimed with confidence, “Behold the Lamb of God.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.6

God has placed his Word before everything. I may be sincere, and may have a correct idea, but if I regard that idea as light, and trust in it, independently of any confirmatory providence, I am in danger of erring before I get through. This is plainly revealed in the Bible.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.7

In Testimonies for the Church 5:512, we read: “There are three ways in which the Lord reveals his will to us, to guide us, and to fit us to guide others. How many we know his voice from that of a stranger?”GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.8

There are thousands of circumstances surrounding us all the time, some for us and some against us, and how may we know which to recognize as God’s providence?GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.9

I continue reading: “how shall we distinguish it from the voice of a false shepherd?” This is an important question, because there are so many circumstances that are against us, apparently, and so many circumstances that are for us. How can we know the right ones? O, we may know; for, despite our sinfulness and our infirmity, God reveals his will to us in his Word, which is infallible.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.10

I read further: “His voice is also revealed in his providential workings; and it will be recognized if we do not separate our souls from him by walking in our own ways, doing according to our own wills, and following the promptings of an unsanctified heart, until the senses have become so confused that the voice of Satan, the archenemy, is accepted as the voice of God himself.GCB June 6, 1913, page 289.11

“Another way in which God’s voice is heard, is through the appeals of his Holy Spirit, making impressions upon the heart, which will be wrought out in the character. If you are in doubt upon any subject, you must first consult the Scriptures.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.1

God desires his people to know his will. In knowing his will, the first infallible testimony we have to follow is his Word. And if we are doing that which God has said should be done, and are giving our entire energies to bring about the accomplishment of that thing, we may expect to see the providences of God, in confirmation of our experience. There may be hundreds of things happening all around us, some apparently against us and some apparently for us, but we may discern that which is providential, in fulfillment of the Word. First, we believe the testimony of God, which we know is true. Then we work to certain ends, because God bids us do so. And as we are thus working, and these thousand and one circumstances are happening around us continually, we shall be enabled to discern the ones that indicate the fulfillment of that word. Further, as we recognize these providences, we shall have the sweet assurance of the Holy Spirit that we are in the line of duty.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.2

These, I understand, are the three steps that will save us from the snares of Satan set for the feet of the unwary. First, we must know the will of God. as revealed in his Word, and believing the Word, work for its fulfillment; second, while working the best we can, we are to recognize circumstances that indicate the fulfillment of the Word; and third there comes to us the sweet assurance of the Spirit that we are in the right way.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.3

These principles are taught all through the Bible. In the thirty-second Psalm, verses 8 and 9, we read: “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.” With this let us read 2 Chronicles 16:9: “The eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose hearts is perfect toward him.” In view of this, I should like to ask, How many circumstances can exist that will be against us?—None; for God says his eyes are running through the whole earth to show himself strong in behalf of those whose hearts are perfect toward him. He is watching everything that happens. “All things work together for good to them that love God.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.4

As I was walking up the avenue this morning, I was thinking that it is one of the most blessed privileges a man can have to have God managing his affairs, and not man; and that another blessed thing is to learn to know that the Lord really does it.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.5

Now turn to the second verse of the one hundred twenty-third Psalm: “Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress: so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.” When visiting a certain point of interest in India, I chose as my guide a bright lad of about twelve years of age; and I noticed particularly his remarkable quickness in anticipating my desires. I finally found that his eyes were on my hand, and that thus he was enabled to know much of what I desired to do while going about. O my brethren, our eyes should be fixed on the hand of our God, that we may discern his will concerning us. We find ourselves connected with a work that is a subject of prophecy. In this we shall often see the hand of providence. And as we follow the providential leadings of the Master Workman, we shall have the assurance that we are not in error.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.6

In 2 Samuel 5:19-25 we read: “David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the Lord said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand. And David came to Baal-perazim, and David smote them there, and said, The Lord hath broken forth upon mine enemies before me, as the breach of waters. Therefore he called the name of that place Baal-perazim. And there they left their images, and David and his men burned them. And the Philistines came up yet again, and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, Thou shalt not go up; but fetch a compass behind them, and come upon them over against the mulberry-trees. And let it be, when thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry-trees, that then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee, to smite the host of the Philistines. And David did so, as the Lord had commanded him; and smote the Philistines from Geba until thou come to Gazer.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.7

God had given David the assurance that he was pursuing the right course, and David had already gained a decided victory over the Philistines. Now, when another emergency arose, David was not permitted to go up against them at once; he was instructed by the Lord to wait until he could discern the providential circumstances in harmony with the will of God. “When thou hearest the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry-trees,” he was bidden, “then thou shalt bestir thyself: for then shall the Lord go out before thee.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.8

Do you see the principle taught in this? God taught David to watch for a providence. Supposing David had gone right on without waiting for God’s providence, would he have had success? He would have had about the same success that Israel had at Ai, when the Israelites were chased like grasshoppers. David learned to believe in God’s providence. Although he was doing what God wanted him to do, yet when he came to a place where he was uncertain, he waited until he could hear “the sound of a going in the tops of the mulberry-trees.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.9

This truth is taught all through the Bible. Turn to the twenty-first chapter of Matthew. In verses 1-4 we read: “When they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the Mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. And if any man say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.10

Do you all see the point? Now supposing they had said, “We do not know whether we will find the ass and the colt there or not.” Do you think they would have found them? But they not only found the ass and the colt, but they also found the owner, who said they could take them. And this was done to fulfill the scripture; and the disciples were fulfilling the scripture when they went after that ass and that colt. So, as they went forward in harmony with the Word, God’s providence confirmed their faith.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.11

“Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed. And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat. And they said unto him, Where wilt thou that we prepare? And he said unto them, Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the good man of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guest chamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples?”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.12

If the disciples had not gone at once, they would not have seen the man bearing a pitcher of water. But when they went in response to a divine command, they found him, followed him, and asked him where the guest chamber was. Thus the providential circumstances they met confirmed their faith.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.13

Turn to the Old Testament again. In 1 Kings 18:41-45, we read: “Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up, and looked, and said, There is nothing. And he said, Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man’s hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the meanwhile, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode, and went to Jezreel.”GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.14

Three and a half years before this, Elijah had locked heaven, so that it should not rain. And although Ahab and his followers fasted and prayed for rain, Elijah was the only man who could open heaven and bring rain. Finally the time came, at the end of the three and a half years, when the Lord told Elijah it would rain again. But after the Lord told him this, Elijah did not fold his hands and wait for the Lord to fulfill his word, but he went up and prayed for the rain. He did not try to fight his way through; he could not make the rain; but he prayed, and sent his servant to look out over the sea where one would naturally expect to see rain clouds arising. He may have seen clouds rise at sea at different times in the past, but at this time he was looking for some definite sign in fulfillment of a definite promise.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.15

Soon the servant returned and said that he saw nothing. And he may have added that it was of no use to go any more, as there were no indications that it would rain. But Elijah kept on praying, and sent the servant a second time, and a third, and still more times. God had said there would be rain. Elijah knew that rain would come, and he proposed to do his part to bring it. So he prayed for the sixth time, and still the word came, “No rain.” But Elijah prayed again, and the seventh time the servant returned and said he saw a cloud about the size of a man’s hand. That was enough for Elijah. He was looking for the slightest indication of God’s providence, and he said to his servant, “Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.” O, Elijah was laboring to fulfill God’s plan, and he was quick to discern the providential evidence that his faith was not in vain.GCB June 6, 1913, page 290.16

There is danger of our trying to run our own business affairs and not learning to allow the Lord to run them for us. We must learn to watch for his providences. When we permit the Lord to direct in all our affairs, we shall not have difficulty in maintaining a prayerful attitude toward him, and in seeing that which will assure us of his guidance. But when we manage matters ourselves, because we regard ourselves competent, we are in danger of making serious mistakes.GCB June 6, 1913, page 291.1

Fanaticism always comes in when we think we must do something without giving the Lord opportunity to shape matters and to open the door for us. The Lord teaches us to let him direct our affairs; and as we sit at his feet, hear his word, and do his bidding, he will grant us ample evidence of his approval, through manifold providences.GCB June 6, 1913, page 291.2

In 1 Samuel 14:6-10 we read the experience of Jonathan and his armor-bearer. Jonathan said to his servant, When we make ourselves known to the enemy, we will keep still, and if they say to us, Come on, we will go; for the Lord has delivered them into our hands; but if they say the other thing, we will not go up. He looked for a providence. And he was not disappointed. God teaches us to look for his providences, and he opens the way before us.GCB June 6, 1913, page 291.3

The story of the Gideonites is a wonderful illustration of this principle. When Gideon first started out, he had thirty-two thousand men; the Lord said there were too many. But even with that number they did not have nearly so many as the enemy had. Why were there too many?—Why, if the Lord should work for this number, and they should have the victory, they would vaunt themselves, and say that they had done a great thing. And so the Lord gave an opportunity for some to return home, and twenty-two thousand went home. But still there were too many, and so he tested them again. When they came down to the water, he watched them, to see what they would do, and only those who lapped water, while their eyes were watchful for the enemy, were retained. But even when the number had been reduced to three hundred, the Lord told Gideon to watch for a special providence. Go down, he said, into the camp, and listen to what you can hear. He went down, and heard a fellow telling a dream. This dreamer said, I saw a barley loaf come tumbling into the camp, and a fellow said, I know those Gideonites are coming down here to overflow us. This was enough for Gideon. He went back and said, The Lord is going to give the enemy into our hands. And so the band of three hundred took their pitchers, and when they had them all arranged, every man stood in his place, and all they had to do was to break their pitchers and let the light shine out.GCB June 6, 1913, page 291.4

In Romans 15:4, we are told why God put these experiences in the Bible: “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” God never put a useless word into the Bible. How many times we read over these records of God’s providential workings, and say, That is only a story; it does not mean much to me. My brethren and sisters, we who live in the closing scenes of this world’s history, may find wonderful encouragement and inspiration in these narratives that reveal an overruling Providence directing in the affairs of men. And as we base our confidence on the living Word, that is to be fulfilled in our day, and discern the many providences about us that confirm faith in this Word, we shall feel the sweet assurance that God is guiding in every step taken. Thus by a threefold evidence we may know that we are being preserved from the delusions of Satan, and may with confidence go forward with the work given us of God, confident of his favor, and assured of final victory.GCB June 6, 1913, page 291.5

DAILY PROGRAM (Except Sabbath)

Conference Proceedings. THIRTY-SECOND MEETING