When Christ came to the world, moral power was at a low ebb. The Jews as a people were not spiritually minded. Their hearts went out after their idols,—supremacy, wealth, and worldly honor. The teachers of the nation interpreted the Scriptures according to their cherished ideas. They taught that the Messiah was to come as an earthly prince, who would reign on David's throne, and crush the heathen under him. They led the people to believe that God would stretch out his arm in their behalf according to his promise, while they did not comply with the conditions of that promise. So far had they separated themselves from God by their wicked works, by their pride and self-righteousness, their oppression of the poor and needy, their hatred and jealousy, that spiritual things were not discerned.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 1)
The angels did not announce the birth of Christ to those who claimed to have great light and knowledge. The rabbis who explained the law in the synagogue—those who above all others should have been intelligent in regard to the coming of the Messiah and the manner of his appearing—knew nothing of the Babe cradled in the manger. Had the angels appeared to them with the good tidings of great joy, telling them the wonderful story of the Babe of Bethlehem, they would have rejected the message with contempt. Such humble birth was not according to their lofty ideas. Therefore the Lord of glory passed by the self-exalted, the men intoxicated with self-love and worldly honor, and came to the men who were humble, who would receive the heavenly messengers and the tidings that were to echo to earth's remotest bounds.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 2)
It was to the humble shepherds that the birth of Christ was first made known. While they were watching their flocks on the hills of Bethlehem, “lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 3)
The manner of Christ's first advent, and the condition of those to whom the joyful tidings came, is a lesson we shall do well to study. The Lord does not honor those who honor themselves. He does not give his precious light to those who will not make a right use of it,—who use it to honor themselves, in the place of exalting the Lord God of Israel. Those whom the Lord has blessed with great privileges are to be pure and humble and undefiled. The humility of the world's Redeemer is solemn and instructive. He was the Majesty of heaven, yet while on earth, he was unhonored and almost unknown. The light of the world, the heir of glory, he was despised and rejected of men.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 4)
As we trace the course pursued by the scribes and Pharisees, and see the light and privileges granted them, we are led to inquire, How could those teachers read the word of God without perceiving the truths which it teaches? Upon these men was placed the responsibility of explaining the law in the synagogue; but Christ declared, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the power of God.” Ye teach for doctrine the commandments of men. The sayings of men, coming down through the rabbis from age to age, had molded their religious worship. Traditions were constantly increasing, which kept the mind in a state of questioning and controversy over the most trivial matters. New laws were constantly being enacted, and the people were taught to regard them as the requirements of God, until a mechanical service became the sum of their religion and their worship. Many of these laws were not committed to writing, and exaction after exaction was added until a most unreasonable mass of maxims and fables was brought together. He who attempted to bring forward scriptures that conflicted with these laws and traditions, was condemned as if he had refused to accept a “Thus saith the Lord.” This education of the rabbis was well-pleasing to Satan; for through them he was preparing the way so that when Christ should come to the world, he would be rejected by his own nation.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 5)
Christ designed that his disciples should have an education altogether different from that which they had received from the scribes and Pharisees. He accused these men of teaching many things contrary to the law. “The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses seat,” he said; “all therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, and love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.... He that is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.”
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 6)
When the question was asked, “Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread,” Christ answered them, “Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honor thy father and thy mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; and honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Thus Christ showed the comparative value of the law of God and their traditions.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 7)
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,” Christ continued; “for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.” Do we not find just such teachers in our day, men who will not obey the plainest statement of the Word, and who, after they have turned from the light of God themselves, do their utmost to lead others into the same path? They manifest the same spirit toward those who keep God's commandments that the scribes and Pharisees manifested toward Christ. How earnest are these transgressor's of God's law to hedge up the way of those who would accept Christ. They will not enter in themselves, and those who would enter in they hinder.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 8)
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.” There are many who claim to be sanctified, but who are not. Shall we receive their testimony? If they are holy, their testimony will be in accordance with the divine will; their prayer will be the prayer of Christ, “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.”
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 9)
What shall be the detector of character in these last days?—“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” If men come to us, making void the law of God, we may know that their sanctification is worth just as much, when weighed in the balances of heaven, as were the long, pretentious prayers of the Pharisees.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 10)
“Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.... Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.”
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 11)
These fearful denunciations were made upon the Jews, because, while teaching the law of God to the people, they were not doers of the Word. Had they kept the law of God, they would have discerned Christ and his mission. So it is in our day. There are those who walk in darkness when light shines from every page of the written Word. They study the Scriptures that they may interpret them to suit themselves. They sink the Scriptures to their own perverted ideas. They are not honest. They doubt that which they have every reason to believe. They become reasoners in doubt, experts in finding fault. God's word is misinterpreted, misstated, misapplied, and has no power upon the life and character.
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 12)
If professed Christians really believe in God, they will not disregard his commandments. Christ says: “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever, therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”
(RH August 29, 1899, Art. A, 13)
Disease and Its Causes
Drugs and Their Effects EGW
The fourth case, the person to whom was given opium, was again presented before me. She had awakened from her sleep much prostrated. Her mind was distracted. She was impatient and irritable, finding fault with her best friends, and imagining that they did not try to relieve her sufferings. She became frantic, and raved like a maniac. The gentleman before mentioned looked sadly upon the sufferer, and said to those present: “This is the second result of taking opium.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 1)
Her physician was called. He gave her an increased dose of opium, which quieted her ravings, yet made her very talkative and cheerful. She was at peace with all around her, and expressed much affection for acquaintances, as well as for her relatives. She soon grew drowsy, and fell into a stupefied condition. The gentleman mentioned above, solemnly said: “Her condition is no better now than when she was in her frantic ravings. She is decidedly worse. This drug-poison, opium, gives temporary relief from pain, but does not remove the cause of pain. It only stupefies the brain, rendering it incapable of receiving impressions from the nerves. While the brain is thus insensible, the hearing, the taste, and the sight are affected. When the influence of opium wears off, and the brain arouses from its state of paralysis, the nerves, which had been cut off from communication with the brain, shriek out, louder than ever, the pain in the system, because of the additional outrage the system has sustained in receiving this poison. Every additional drug given to the patient, whether it be opium or some other poison, will complicate the case, and make the patient's recovery more hopeless. The drugs given to stupefy, whatever they may be, derange the nervous system. An evil, simple in the beginning, which nature aroused herself to overcome, and which she would have overcome had she been left to herself, has been made tenfold worse by the introduction of drug-poisons into the system. The result of these poisons is a destructive disease of itself, forcing into extraordinary action the remaining life-forces to war against and overcome the drug intruder.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 2)
I was brought into the sick-room of the first case, that of the father and his daughter. The daughter was sitting by the side of her father, cheerful and happy, with the glow of health upon her countenance. The father was looking upon her with happy satisfaction, his countenance speaking the gratitude of his heart, that his only child was spared to him. Her physician entered, and after conversing with the father and child for a short time, arose to leave. He addressed the father thus: “I present to you your daughter restored to health. I gave her no medicine, that I might leave her with an unbroken constitution. Medicine never could have accomplished this. Medicine deranges nature's fine machinery, and breaks down the constitution, and kills, but it never cures. Nature alone possesses restorative powers. She alone can build up her exhausted energies, and repair the injuries she has received by inattention to her fixed laws.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 3)
He then asked the father if he was satisfied with his manner of treatment. The happy father expressed his heartfelt gratitude and perfect satisfaction, saying: “I have learned a lesson I shall never forget. It was painful, yet it is of priceless value. I am now convinced that my wife and children need not have died. Their lives were sacrificed while in the hands of physicians, by their poisonous drugs.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 4)
I was then shown the second case,—the patient to whom nux vomica had been administered. She was being supported by two attendants, from her chair to her bed. She had nearly lost the use of her limbs. The spinal nerves were partially paralyzed, and the limbs had lost their power to bear her weight. She coughed distressingly, and breathed with difficulty. She was laid upon the bed, and soon lost her hearing and sight; and after lingering thus a while, she died. The gentleman before mentioned looked sorrowfully upon the lifeless body, and said to those present: “Witness the protracted influence of nux vomica upon the human system. At its introduction, the nervous energy was excited to extraordinary action to meet this drug-poison. This extra excitement was followed by prostration, and the final result has been paralysis of the nerves. This drug does not have the same effect upon all. Some, who have powerful constitutions; recover from abuses to which they may subject the system; while others, whose hold on life is not so strong, who possess enfeebled constitutions, never recover from receiving into the system even one dose: many die from no other cause than the effects of one potion of this poison. Its effects are always tending to death. The condition the system is in, at the time those poisons are received into it, determines the life of the patient. Nux vomica can cripple, paralyze, destroy health forever, but it never cures.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 5)
The third case—that of the young man to whom had been administered calomel—was again presented before me. He was a pitiful sufferer. His limbs were crippled, and he was greatly deformed. He said that his sufferings were beyond description, and life was to him a great burden. The gentleman whom I have repeatedly mentioned looked upon the sufferer with sadness and pity, and said: “This is the effect of calomel. It torments the system as long as there is a particle of the poison left in it. It ever lives, not losing its properties by its long stay in the living system. It inflames the joints, and often sends rottenness into the bones. It frequently manifests itself in the tumors, ulcers, and cancers, years after it has been introduced into the system.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 6)
The fourth case was again presented before me,—the patient to whom opium had been administered. Her countenance was sallow, and her eyes were restless and glassy. Her hands shook as if palsied, and she appeared greatly excited, imagining that all present were leagued against her. Her mind was a complete wreck, and she raved in a pitiful manner. The physician was summoned, and seemed to be unmoved at these terrible exhibitions. He gave the patient a more powerful potion of opium, which he said would set her all right. Her ravings did not cease until she became thoroughly intoxicated. She then passed into a deathlike stupor. The gentleman already mentioned looked upon the patient, and said, sadly: “Her days are numbered. The efforts that nature has made have been so many times overpowered by this poison that the vital forces are exhausted by being repeatedly induced to unnatural action to rid the system of this poisonous drug. Nature's efforts are about to cease, and then the patient's suffering life will end.”
(RH August 29, 1899, 7)