that while professing to live for Christ, we
have really been living for self and this world.
We are alarmed. We confess our sins, our
short-comings, and our selfishness, and now
at last consecrate ourselves to the work of
God. We begin to study the Bible and the
Testimonies, to pray much, to take up neg-
lected duties, and at last become truly earn-
est, devoted Christians.
Then God blesses us as we never were
blessed before. We find that we have blessed
talents to do good which we never realized
before. While these were buried in the earth,
neglected, unused, we were content to live
unconsecrated lives. Now we find Jesus very
precious to us. We lead a new life indeed
and in truth. We are in a new world, full of
blessing and soul comfort. “The peace of
God, which passeth all understanding,” rules
and reigns in our hearts. Then we find new
joys and a precious experience. We find then
THE WATCHMAN
that we can do others good; we have a real
Christian experience, and Christ's promises
are realized in the soul.
Ah, what a blessed change is this. It
seemed to us a great pity that Christ had to
stir up our nest by sending us affliction; but
at last we find that it is a wonderful blessing
in disguise. As the young eagle found de-
light in his newly-found powers, so we find in
the new life of usefulness the greatest joy that
we have ever found in this world.
Dear reader, if the Lord finds it necessary
to stir up your nest, do not despair, but look
around you, and see where you are neglecting
important duties. Take hold in the fear of
God and pick up these duties. Enter the
work of God anew, and you will find a fresh
experience, a happy consciousness of God's ac-
ceptance, and a sweet foretaste of a glorious
life hereafter. G. I. B.
SHEE More
rR
Power
HE apostle Paul wrote to Timothy that
“in the last days” the times would be
perilous because of a general decline in
morality and spirituality, and that while
the form of godliness would remain in the
church, “the power thereof” would be gone.
2 Tim, 3:1-5 It is a noteworthy fact that
this prediction is strikingly fulfilled in the re-
ligious world to-day. The “power of godli-
ness” 1s conspicuously absent from the large
nominally Christian bodies. Their power con-
sists chiefly in their numbers and their wealth.
For more than half a century there has been
in them no great revival of religion.
But there must be power in the true church
of Christ. The Christian religion is a religion
of power. It is the manifestation of the
power that is in Christianity and in the Chris-
that overcomes the world. All the power of
the world, in whatever form, that may be ar-
rayed against the cause of Christ to oppose
its progress, will be met and overcome by the
power that is in Christianity, and in the Chris-
tian church. That power comes from the
throne of Omnipotence, and is, in fact, om-
nipotent power.
While the power of godliness is denied in
the popular churches by their lack of it (by
which they virtually say that it exists in theory
rather than in fact), the power of worldliness
has become very great and is constantly grow-
ing greater. Faith in the Bible as an infallible
revelation from God has been dying out.
Selfishness, love of money, and the pursuit of
worldly pleasure, have been strongly on the
increase. The mind may be convinced of the
truth, but the heart refuses to yield obedience
to it. The people are not moved to-day by
that which would have moved them in the
days of our grandparents. Multitudes are
being ensnared by false doctrines which blind
the spiritual eyesight. And last, but not least,
great confederacies are forming in both the
commercial and the religious world, the power
of which will be exerted to resist the advance
of God's truth.
All this means one thing to the Christian
church,— more power. God has the power,
and it will not be withheld. The power that
was sufficient to move men in former days
will not answer now. In the last days the
devil is to work with “all power and signs
and lying wonders” to deceive the people
(2 Thess. 2:9), and there must be a power
attending the truth of God which is greater
than all this. It is certain, therefore, that the
Christian church is on the eve of the reception
of power superior to any that has been seen
since the day of Pentecost, and it may be even
superior to that, a power under which the
church will rise and stand forth “clear as the
sun, fair as the moon, and terrible as an army
with banners.”
The reason why the power of godliness is
absent from the churches to-day is not that
the power does not exist, but that God cannot
trust the churches with it. He cannot trust
the churches with it because they are not in
a godly condition. They would not make a
right use of the power if they had it. The
power of God cannot come into the heart un-
prepared by the grace of God, the heart in
which there is not full submission to God.
And submission means obedience; no church
can receive the power of God which is not
keeping his commandments. A gospel mes-
sage has gone to all the world in this gene-
ration uplifting the law of God, and calling
for a reform in its observance, and only those
who are willing to obey that law just as God
gave it, the fourth commandment with the rest,
can know the power of God which is to at-
tend his work in the latter days, when the
climax of the long controversy between sin and
righteousness shall be reached. That climax
is now near at hand, as the confederating of
the powers of the world indicates; and the
power that will be given the Christian church
to meet this crisis will be exceeding great, so
great that none can be safely trusted with it
whose lives are not in perfect conformity to
the mind of God. The time is at hand when
345
such a manifestation of the power of godliness
as will startle and confound the world, must
be seen among the “little flock” of God's
commandment-keeping people.
L. A. S.
EE
THE JOURNEY TO EMMAUS
HERE are many things worthy of care-
ful thought in the narrative of this
evening walk. The disciples were
thinking and talking about Jesus. This
was the reason why “ Jesus himself drew near
and went with them.” If you wish Jesus to
walk with you, think and talk about him, and
he will fulfill his promise, “Lo, I am with
you alway.”
They were sad, and one word from Jesus
by which they would have recognized him
would have sent them on their way bound-
ing with joy; but he did not speak it. He
considered an understanding of his word
more valuable to them than a happy flight
of feeling. When in a sorrowful frame of
mind, one is more apt to be thoughtful, and
the word of God has more effect. That is
the reason we so often need to pass under
the rod of affliction before we seek the Sa-
viour’s blessed presence. When our dear ones
are laid low by death, how precious the word
of God becomes.
Christ gave them a Bible study, tracing
through all the Old Testament “the things
concerning himself.” ‘They ever loved to
think of that Bible study, and said, “Did not
our hearts burn within us while he talked
with us by the way?” A study of the word
of God brought them into a state of mind
where it could be said that “they knew him.”
Happy is the one who can say truthfully, “I
know God.” Acquaintance with God comes
through studying his word. “Acquaint now
thyself with him and be at peace; thereby good
shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee,
the law from his mouth, and lay up his words
in thine heart” Job 22:21, 22.
S. N. H.
SoM
THE LATE MEETING OF THE SOUTHERN UNION
CONFERENCE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
THE recent meeting of the Executive Com-
mittee of the Southern Union Conference,
which was held in one of the suburbs of Chat-
tanooga, May 16 to 20, is now over. It was
a very important and interesting occasion.
With the exception of the Florida Conference,
each state conference was represented, and the
members of the committee were nearly all
present. It is very well known by the read-
ers of the WATCHMAN that the meeting was
held in connection with the Institute which
commenced May 2, to continue six weeks from
the date of starting, in the little village of East
Lake, a suburb of Chattanooga.
There was quite a good attendance at the
Institute, and teachers from different parts of
the Southern Union Conference were in at-
tendance. It seems to be the most successful
thus far of any that have been held in the
Southern field, and the prospect is that very
much good will be done by the instruction