Thus they lost sight altogether of the covenant with Abraham,–the true way of
salvation,–and all these things which were given to them in their unbelief and
transgression to lead them to the light and to instruct them unto the covenant
with Abraham and the true way of salvation, they put in the place of that. And this
was only to put their own perverse views in the place of the truth of God; to
pervert to the inventions of their own carnal minds, the sacred ordinances which
the Lord had given to lead them to spiritual mindedness, it was only to make
themselves their own saviors, it was to put themselves in the place of God.
But when these things which, in his love, God had given to help them to faith,
were thus perverted to their own carnal views, all life was taken out of them, and
they found in them no help whatever to righteousness. And, as in this way which
they had gone, everything depended upon their own doing, this caused them to
go yet further, and add to these things that God had given, that vast multitude of
fine-spun distinctions, legal exactions, and pharisaic traditions, which was
manifested in the ceremonialism of the Jews in the days when Jesus came, and
which "the Pharisees which believed" thought to fasten upon Christianity, by
which they confused the Galatians. And this it was which called forth from the
Lord the epistle to the Galatians, to show to both Jews and Gentiles the truth of
God's everlasting covenant and the true relation of the law, both moral and
ceremonial, to that covenant. And this instruction is needed to-day just as well as
then, or ever; because it is the bane of human nature to be ever ready to put its
own views in the place of the truth of God; to put its own works in the place of the
righteousness of God; to put ordinances and ceremonies in the place of faith; to
put the inventions of the carnal mind in place of the work of God; to put self in the
place of God.
"Back Page" Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, 77, 3 , p. 48.
A BILL was introduced in the United States Senate Thursday, to become a
law of the United States by act of Congress, providing that "when all insurrection
against the authority and sovereignty of the United States in the Philippine
Islands shall have been completely suppressed by the military and naval forces
of the United States," then "all military, civil, and judicial powers necessary to
govern the said islands shall, until otherwise provided by Congress, be vested in
such persons, and shall be exercised in such manner, as the president of the
United States shall direct, for maintaining and protecting the inhabitants and
protecting the inhabitants of said islands in the full enjoyment of their liberty,
property, and religion." That is a proposition that the principle of absolute
authority–one-man power–shall be definitely recognized by Congress and
established by its act. An administration correspondent says of this, "It is a new
and novel question in American politics;" and "the exceedingly lively interest"
taken in it "is one of the signs of the times." Indeed, it is. It is one of the most
remarkable of the signs of the times. Do you see what it is a sign of? As the
approach of the Romans armies was a sign to the disciples of the impending
destruction of Jerusalem, so may "the repudiation of Protestant and republican
principle be a sign to us." It would be impossible to repudiate republican principle
more certainly than is steadily being done by this nation.
January 23, 1900
"The Third Angel's Message. What Is It?" Advent Review and Sabbath
Herald, 77, 4 , p. 56.
THE Third Angel's Message–this great threefold message–is in every feature
present truth. And when in its own words it is shown that this message is given in
view of the fact that the hour of God's judgment "is come," then when the time
comes for this message to be given, it will be only present truth thoroughly to
believe that "the hour of his judgment is come" in truth.
Indeed, that this message were ever given at all would be evidence in itself
that the hour of his judgment is come; for no message of God can ever be given
before the time. Therefore whenever this message shall be found sounding to the
world, it will be then true that the hour of God's judgment is come. And the word
of the message that says so will be only the announcement of the fact that the
hour of his judgment is come. And every one believing the message will believe
that this is the fact: he will have to believe it, to be a believer of the message;
because the very word of the message that he professes to believe says that this
is so. And as certainly as he believes this, he will enter hourly into God's
judgment, and will constantly hold himself subject to all the tests of that
judgment.
That message is now due in the world. It is being given to the world. For
years this has been so. Therefore for years it has been, and it now is, present
truth that the hour of God's judgment is come. Thousands upon thousands of
persons profess to believe that message. Thousands upon thousands have for
years professed to believe that message. Therefore the principle is that this
whole people of that message are entered hourly into God's judgment, and, as
constantly as they live, do subject themselves to all the searching tests of that
judgment. All these, therefore, know that as for themselves, each individually, the
judgment has begun upon the living; for they are living. To them the message of
God has come that "the hour of his judgment is come;" they have accepted that
message, and accordingly have entered into that judgment, and so they live
constantly in the presence of that awful fact. Consequently we say again that with
these there is no room for any such question as to "whether the judgment has
begun upon the living."
And if there be any who profess to believe this message, and yet are living as
they would not live if they knew that the judgment had come, and would make a
revolution in their lives if only they knew that the judgment had come upon the
living, but would not make this revolution if they could be certain that the
judgment had not come, then to what purpose to them could be a message, even
if it were sent directly from heaven to them personally, that the judgment had
begun upon the living? In such case, any change that would be sought or made,
would have no virtue whatever; and these persons would be no more prepared
for the decision of the judgment than if they had heard nothing about it; the only
change that would be made in such a life would be altogether out of fear of the
consequences, and not out of any love of righteousness. Therefore, in the nature
of things, in such a case the world could not be, He is righteous, "let him be
righteous still;" because he is not righteous: he has not love of righteousness in
his heart. This is demonstrated by the fact that, under the very profession of this
judgment-message, he lived without regard to the judgment; he indulged evil
things in his life,–things which he knew could not pass the judgment,–and he
continued to indulge them until the startling word came to him personally that the
judgment was come to him. Then, all at once, and only that he may pass the
judgment, and escape the consequences of the evil things that he has indulged
in spite of righteousness, he sets forth to make a grand revolution in his life!
But no such thing as that will ever work in the judgment of God. Whoever will
pass in righteousness the judgment of God, will do so only because he has
"loved righteousness, and hated iniquity," whether the judgment was begun upon
him or not. He loves righteousness because it is righteousness, and he hates
iniquity because it is iniquity; and he will no more indulge iniquity in his life with
the judgment a thousand years away than with the judgment only a minute away.
There is, therefore, no room whatever for any professed believer of the Third
Angel's Message, for any Seventh-day Adventist, ever to ask whether the
judgment has begun upon the living. Every true believer of the Third Angel's
Message, every true Seventh-day Adventist, KNOWS, because the word of God
says it, and has said it for years, that "the hour of his judgment is come." It is
here: it is a present thing as certainly as the world is here. and, knowing this,
every true Seventh-day Adventist lives accordingly: he puts himself alive into the
judgment; he reins himself up hourly before the judgment seat; because "the
hour of his judgment is come." To the true believer of the Third Angel's Message
this is a fact: it is living truth.
And how shall he ever give this message to the world otherwise? Can he,
with any force of truth at all, preach to another man that the hour of God's
judgment "is come," when he himself does not believe at all that it "is come," but
only that it will come? Who is there in the world that does not believe that God's
judgment will come? But the Third Angel's Message is not that the judgment will
come; but that the very time, the "hour, of his judgment IS COME."
Since this judgment, in its decision when pronounced, is but a recognition and
declaration of a condition that already exists, and is, therefore, practically
instantaneous, it follows that the means of preparation for this awful decision
shall be such that it shall be able to effect that preparation also instantaneously.
And precisely this provision is that which is offered by the Lord in this great,
glorious Third Angel's Message; for it carries the "everlasting gospel to preach
unto them that dwell on the earth, to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and
people." And this everlasting gospel is "the power of God unto salvation to every
one that believeth." "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith." And those who are thus made righteous live righteously; because they
"live by faith." This power of God is creative, and is, therefore, instantaneous in
its action. And any soul loving and longing for righteousness, and hating and
desiring to escape iniquity, who hears this message of the everlasting gospel,
announcing that the hour of God's judgment is come, and enters into the
judgment in this hour, can be by that everlasting gospel prepared for the
judgment. And while he holds himself in the presence of the judgment, subject to
all its searching tests, and holds fast this everlasting gospel,–its power to save,
and the righteousness that it reveals,–he is ready for the crisis of that judgment
at any moment in the "hour;" because, when comes the critical moment in which
his name is reached, he is righteous by the "power of God" and by the
righteousness of God, which that gospel has given to him; and
