The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, vol. 74

November 30, 1897

“Editorial” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 48, p. 760.

DO you ever think that the Lord did not hear you when you prayed? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.1

If so, do you think now that he would have heard you if you had cursed? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.2

And if you think he would have heard your curse, and yet that he did not hear your prayer, then it must be that you think he would rather hear cursing than to hear praying; else why should you think he would hear curses, and not hear prayers? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.3

But you know that such an idea s that would never do. You know that he would rather hear prayers than to hear curses. Then please nevermore think that God does not hear you pray. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.4

Why, he tells you that he will hear you pray; and that even while you are speaking, he will hear. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.5

He tells you that he harkens, that is, he listens, to hear you. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.6

Yes, more than that; not only does he listen, but if your faith is so weak that you can scarcely shape into words your heart’s need, then he inclines his ear, he leans over, to listen and catch your prayer. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.7

“The Lord harkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.8

“I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.9

“Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.10

Please, then, nevermore dishonor the Lord and wound your own soul, by thinking that he does not hear you when you pray. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.11

“Whose Heart Is This?” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 48, p. 760.

“THE heart is deceitful.” Jeremiah 17:9. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.1

Whose heart is deceitful?—My heart, of course, your heart, anybody’s heart, everybody’s heart. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.2

It is not the heart of some particular person, to the exclusion of all others, that is deceitful; it is the heart of each particular person, inclusive of the whole race. The expression is a general-particular, and signifies the heart itself, wherever in the world it may be found. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.3

Do you agree, then, that your heart is deceitful?—You must, or else disagree with the Lord. And if you disagree with him, how can you walk with Him?—You cannot. Are you willing to raise a question of knowledge, or a question of veracity, between yourself and the Lord?—No, no! let God be true, though it reveals every man to be a liar. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.4

Then, as for you and me, it is settled, is it, that the heart—your heart, my heart—is deceitful? I say, “Yes, my heart is deceitful.” Do you say the same?—“Yes.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.5

Very well, then; let us read the verse farther. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.6

“The heart is deceitful above all things.” Is your heart deceitful above all things? If yours is not, then whose is? And is each one is to decide this for himself, and each one decides that his heart is not deceitful above all things, but that it must be somebody else’s heart that is so, then it will be found that nobody’s heart is deceitful above all things, and then what becomes of this scripture? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.7

More than this: when you say that your heart is not so, and every other one says that his heart is not so, where do you, with all the others, get the opinion that your heart is not so?—O, it is your heart that says it. That is, your heart tells you that your heart is not deceitful above all things. Thus whether it is so or not, becomes simply a question of veracity between God and your heart. The Lord says the heart—your heart—is deceitful above all things; the heart says, “It is not so.” Which will you believe? Does your heart know more than God knows? Does the heart tell the truth, and the Lord tell a lie? Which do you believe? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.8

You say you “believe the Bible.” Very good; this is the word of the Bible. Therefore you believe that your heart is deceitful above all things. Then you will never trust your heart for anything, nor accept its opinion on any point,—it is too deceitful to be trusted,—but you will trust God for everything, and accept his Word on every point. Thus, agreeing with God always, you will walk with him always. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.9

And there is more yet in that verse: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked.” That is “excessively, violently, unrestrainedly” wicked. See what the Lord Jesus says of it: “Out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness.” Is not the heart, then, indeed desperately wicked? Jesus knows what is in man: he is “the faithful and true Witness,” and of the heart he has testified truly. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.10

“Who can know it?“—True enough. Being deceitful above all things, who can know it? who can know the deceitfulness of it? And being desperately—excessively, unrestrainedly—wicked, who can know it?—Only he who is infinite in knowledge, in goodness, and in truth—only he can possibly know it. And he does know it. His own answer to this question is, “I the Lord search the heart, I try the conscience.” He knows the heart, and has told us all about it, so that we may not be deceived by it, nor betrayed into evil by its desperate wickedness. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.11

Let no one be discouraged: he who knows all about that deceitful, desperately wicked heart, says to you, “A new heart will I give you.... I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.” Therefore in full assurance of faith, we, every one, can ever pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God.” For this is according to his will. “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: and if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.12

Then let every one ever pray, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me;” and ever accept the answer, “A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.13

Having asked according to his will,—indeed, in the very words of his will,—know that you have the petition that you desired of him. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.14

“Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.15

“The Things of God to Us” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 48, pp. 760, 761.

THE Holy Spirit is given to show to the believer the things of God. “He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.1

And it is all the things of God that he will show to the believer; nothing is kept back. “All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you.” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.2

In Christ, God gave everything—Christ, the greatest of all, and all other things because of him. For “he that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.3

Note, the question is not, How shall he with him freely give us all things? but, “How shall he not with him also freely give us all things?” ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.4

That is to say, When God loved us, and so cared for us as to spare not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all,—having done this, how can he keep from doing all the rest? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.5

Having given to us this greatest of all gifts while we were enemies, how can he keep from giving all other things when we are his friends? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.6

And when we have received Christ, the greatest of all possible gifts of God, how can he keep back from us anything that is his? He does not want to. He wants us to have all the things that are of God. And that we might know how fully and freely all things are given to us, and how welcome we are to all, he first gave the first, greatest, best, of all possible gifts—his only begotten Son, the Son of his love. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.7

And to every believer in Christ the Holy Spirit is given in order that he may know these things of God, which in Christ are given. “Now we have received... the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” And remember that “all things that the Father hath,” all the things of God, are given to Jesus; he is “heir of all things:” these are all freely given to us, and all these things the Spirit takes and shows to the believer. Bless the Lord! ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.8

Thus it is that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, and wait for him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” And he searches these deep things of God, in order to bring them forth and show them to you. Thank the Lord! ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.9

Therefore, please do not rob yourself of this great blessing of the knowledge of God by passing all this over beyond the resurrection of the dead. It all belongs here and now, as well as there and then. It is true that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him, and wait for him,” now, this very day. For “God hath revealed them”—not, will reveal them after the resurrection, but, “hath revealed them—unto us by his Spirit.” And the Spirit is given now, and reigns now, and “we have received the Spirit which is of God” now, in order that we might know now these things that eye has never seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, but which now are freely given us of God. Do not you love him? Are not you waiting for him? O, then, receive his Spirit, that he may show you all these wondrous things of God, that you may be filled with all the fulness of God. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 760.10

The Lord’s own recorded wish and prayer is, “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 might be filled with all the fulness of God.” Is this your wish and prayer? If so, then you are asking according to his will, and you know he hears; and knowing that he hears, you know you have the petition that you desire of him. Bless his holy name! ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.1

“Be filled with the Spirit.” Filled with the Spirit, is filled with Christ; and filled with Christ, is filled with all the fulness of God. Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift of Christ, and for the unspeakable gift of his Spirit, which reveals to us the fulness of Christ and of God. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.2

“The Defeat of Justice” The Advent Review and Sabbath Herald 74, 48, pp. 761, 762.

IN New York a man and a woman united in murdering the woman’s husband. The deed was so well planned and so carefully carried through that though they were both arrested and held for trial, it was quite well understood that there was not evidence enough to convict them unless one of them should confess. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.1

The man was put on trial first. In the midst of the trial the woman confessed, but laid on the man the principal part of the built. This led the man to talk; and he acknowledged a part of the deed, but laid upon the woman the burden of guilt. But wherever lies the burden of guilt, the talk of the two has shown conclusively that they both took such a material part in the murder as to make them both completely guilty under the law. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.2

The next day after the woman confessed, one of the jurors was taken with an illness so severe as to break the jury. That jury had to be discharged, another selected, and the trial to be begun again. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.3

But now, though the court, the lawyers, and the whole community know perfectly that both the accused are fully guilty, the lawyers have deliberately set themselves to clear them. It is argued that neither the man’s statements nor even the woman’s confession can be made use of in the new trial; and that therefore, there being not enough evidence, without a confession, to convict them, if both can be persuaded to hold their tongues, the lawyers can wear... all legal processes, and so save them. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.4

It is possible that this scheme cannot be successfully carried through. But th.... The court ordered a new trial, in a decision which, it is said, “would have resulted in the discharge of the whole band,” though they were confessedly guilty. In this instance the people, in desperation, turned out, and hanged the whole lot of them. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.5

There is no question that lynching is bad. But when, from cause repeated all over the nation, it is understood that lawyers endeavor more to clear the known guilty than to discover guilt and do justice, and that courts are their too-willing tools in that business, what else can be reasonably expected? ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.1

One of the lawyers in the New York case mentioned above plainly says that “notwithstanding the guilt of his client, it is the lawyer’s duty to free him if he can.” The Chicago Times-Herald says that it does not believe that this canon will “meet with the approval of the American bar.” Whether it will or not, everybody knows that such is almost the invariable practise of lawyers and courts all over this nation. And it is this, more than all other things, that is the cause of lynching. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.2

“Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; and I will cause thee to ride upon the high places of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage of Jacob thy father: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” Isaiah 58:14. ARSH November 30, 1897, page 761.3