"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God," and it takes all of God's word to round out the character and supply every need and hunger of the soul. Whether it is the Old Testament now or the New, does not matter; for with the Christian's understanding of God through Christ, every word becomes significant and able to make him "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Tim. 3:15.) The things that were "written aforetime" for our learning are they written, "that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope" (Rom. 15:4); and the stories of God's ancient people stand recorded as ensamples for us, and are for admonition to us upon whom the ends of the ages are come (1 Cor. 10:11). If these things be true, the more completely we compass the entire revelation of God, the closer it will bring us to him, the wiser and stronger shall we be in the Lord. Judge ye, then, can we waive the consideration of the prophecies, which altogether constitute about one-third of the Bible, and not suffer great loss? This alone is an unanswerable argument for the earnest study of that part of God's word which has been so systematically skipped and misinterpreted until the very masters in Israel are confessedly ignorant of it, and call it "dark," and regard a fair understanding of it as impossible. It is a strange attitude for those who have reproved the sects for claiming that the ordinary man can not understand the word, and who have contended that God knows how to address the minds he made, and that his revelation is a revelation indeed, and not a mystery.

But let us not call this an argument; and we will present a real definite reason why we have.

God, as if anticipating the tendency to neglect that portion of his word, specially commended the study of the prophets to us, the Christians. The things foretold by the prophets of old, God tells us, were not for them, nor for their generation, but chiefly for us (1 Pet. 10:1-12); for which cause "ye do well that ye take heed [to the word of prophecy], as unto a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, 20). Here, then, is direct instruction from the Father- in heaven to take heed to the prophetic word. "I stir up your sincere mind," writes Peter in the same epistle (3 :1, 2), " . . . that ye should remember the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles."

The last-quoted passage has evident reference to unfulfilled prophecy. There is, in addition to God's special admonition to study and remember, another reason why we should have much interest in unfulfilled prophecy; it is one of our greatest privileges as God's own people to learn the future things from him. God treats us as his confidential friends in this matter. "No longer do I call you servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth; but I hare called you friends; for all things that I heard from my Father I have made known unto you." (John 15:15.) If, then, they are his friends, they shall know his plans and intentions for the future. For when he walked with "Abraham, the friend of God," he said, "Shall I hide from Abraham that which I do; seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?" (Gen. 18:17,18) and revealed to him his purpose concerning Sodom and Gomorrah, as on a previous occasion he had foretold him the bondage of his descendants in Egypt and their great deliverance. Now we also are God's friends by faith as was Abraham, and to us also does he make known "what he is about to do." "When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall guide you into all the truth; . . . and he shall declare unto you the things that are to come." (John 16:13.)

When God has so lovingly condescended to let us into the hidden purposes of his heart, then we show our great appreciation by suddenly becoming intensely "practical," and saying: "All I care for, and all I need to know, is my duty for today; and when I know that and-do it, I am all right, no matter what happens in the future." Which is to say the word of God's prophecy is to no special purpose, with a possible suggestion that the man who studies is wasting precious time which could be put to better use. Is not that our attitude? And how short-sighted and blind, as well as ungrateful, it is! Doing one's duty is a first necessity, to be sure, but who can-work and keep on working without constant motive and inspiration, without assurance that it will count in God's plans, and that our labor is not in vain in the Lord ? It is for that cause that many churches, like sheep forever kept on the same little patch of pasture, are suffering from the "dry rot." These hard- headed, sensible duty-doers get insufferably dry and mechanical in their performances as the days pass, and their religion becomes a dead thing and repulsive to others. There is, furthermore, a world of warning and encouragement in these unfulfilled prophecies, which enable us to meet the changes and vicissitudes of the times; to discern the Protean shapes of the deadly errors that rise up from the abysses in the guise of angels of light; to stand unawed and undiscouraged at the apparent success of falsehood and evil, knowing that God has so foretold it, and expects us to stand fast through it with undiminished faith and hope. Be assured there is no scripture inspired of God but it is profitable to the man of God, furnishing him perfectly unto every good work.

But the main cause of the neglect of prophetical study is the abuse it has met with in many hands, the

which have been spun all around and over the prophecies like cobwebs and have brought the subject into disrepute. We lack, in fact, the courage to undertake that in which so many have failed. We are afraid of going astray ourselves, or perhaps of making ourselves ridiculous in the eyes of the "wise ones." So we let it go. Nay, we can not let it go altogether we are bound to have some sort of idea concerning those things; and being too fainthearted or indifferent to explore for ourselves, we have naturally, almost unconsciously, adopted general views, traditional interpretations. I protest that the brotherhood in general holds the most absurd, grotesque, and crude kinds of notions concerning prophecy. The existing comments and commentaries of otherwise able and well-posted men on this subject are marvels of inconsequentiality and eccentrical interpretations. So, afraid of the idle fancies of some, we have fallen into the equally false current notions of the majority of denominations, and are at fault even to being perplexed to find an essential place in our belief and teaching for such an important item as the coming again of Jesus Christ. And this not because we love error, or are, as some, bound to human creed and theory, but on account of pure neglect and timidity. We have not acted thus in other lines. Regardless of the many false teachings set forth on other subjects, we have not trembled to seek and proclaim the word of truth concerning them. And if with fair, sane, simple principles of interpretation we should undertake the task of understanding God's prophecies, we would find it far from impossible to obtain a true conception of them, in outline at least. (In the next issue I propose to submit such a set of principles to the consideration of the readers.) That the sub. ject has its difficulties goes without saying; but that it is necessary to "speculate" in order to get a definite view of it is certainly untrue.

It is because of our great ignorance of things prophetical that often simple Christians (and, strange to say, Christians as often as or oftener than any sect or denomination) are fascinated and taken in by Mormons, Adventists, Russellites, and other isms that make great stock of prophecy. It is to many, when they first begin to see into those teachings, as if they were entering a new world. The prophecies which had lain there for years in their Bibles as a meaningless dead letter, now become alive and instinct with glorious meaning. If only the meaning were never perverted for them! But bewildered and enthused by the discovery of things they had never before dreamed, they fall easy prey to the false teacher, who uses not so much the word of God as the victim's ignorance of it to foist upon him a human theory.

Now, I say the Christian is free to hold all the truth in God's word, and he does not have to turn to any sect to get any truth. But we see the necessity of study and research along the lines of prophecy honest study at that, which goes not toward fortifying,, oneself in previously held notions, but to seek and find the truth as it stands. Only thus, and not by shirking, can we meet the false teachings and specious perversions of prophecy that are abroad in the land. Yea, the time has come that we absolutely must study the prophetic word of God, fulfilled and unfilled.