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had anything to make known in His Plan, it must be for good. So we read that "the Logos was made flesh," and "for the joy set before Him endured the Cross, despising the shame." (John 1:14; Hebrews 12:2; Philippians 2:8-11.) Jesus was born a descendant of Abraham, through the Virgin Mary. He kept the Jewish Law inviolate, and thus proved Himself worthy to be that Seed who would bless the world. He died to redeem the race "the Just for the unjust." He rose again, qualified for the great work of the world's deliverance. Him is given all power in Heaven and in earth.-Matthew 28:18.

To

The Bible tells us that the salvation of the world is waiting until our Lord shall take unto Himself His great power and reign. God has been holding this salvation in reserve for over 1800 years, during the selection of the Church, the Bride of Christ—the work of the Gospel Age. Before the Church He has set this great Hope of being associated with our Lord Jesus, of constituting with Him this Spiritual Spiritual Seed of Abraham, which is to bless all the families of the earth. For this reason our Lord is first delivering the Church class. This hope of being the Seed of Abraham is "the hope set before us in the Gospel," of which our text speaks. "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's Seed, and heirs according to the Promise."

God has still in reservation the work of blessing the world, and this great work of a thousand years. But it is now almost due to begin. The promised Spiritual Seed is about completed. Under them the earthly seed-the faithful worthies of previous

ages,

who will be raised from the dead, and Natural Israel, who will be restored to divine favor-will ere long be ready to cooperate; and then the world's uplift will begin.

Our Anchor Sure and Steadfast.

In the dream which God gave to Nebuchadnezzar, there was a stone taken out of the mountains without hands, and it became a great moun

tain that filled the whole earth. (Daniel 2:31-45.) This stone represented Christ's Kingdom. The power which has taken this spiritual Stone out of the mountain-the world-is simply the hope inspired by God's Promise to Abraham. Some of us have heard the Call to follow Christ, and have responded. (Matthew 5:6; 11:28; 16:24.) The Word of Christ has entered into our hearts. Our minds, our aims, our ambitions-everything—are being transformed, are being set on Heavenly things.-Romans 12:1, 2; Colossians 3:1-3.

How precious is this Hope! It is indeed "an anchor to the soul, both sure and steadfast." By this expression St. Paul suggests the picture of a ship at anchor during a storm. So in the storms of life the child of God has a firm anchorage. This Anchor of Hope takes hold even upon the things within the veil.

The basis of our hope is the Word of God. If we let go of our Hope, we are letting go of everything. The "hour of temptation" is now upon the whole world; and a still greater stress is coming. (Revelation 3:10.) All the more, therefore, shall we need our Anchor of Hope, of faith. Through the Prophet the Lord points out that He is about to "do His work, His strange work, and to bring to pass His act, His strange act." (Isaiah 28:21.) The world will not be able to understand it. As they see the trouble extending everywhere-to all governments and institutions—and realize that it will terminate in anarchy, they will say, Where is God? What is coming to this Great Babylon that we thought was about to bless the world? What is about to happen to us?

The Unsanctified Heart Selfish.

We are now living in the Day when the light is shining more brightly than ever before, and when the darkness is gradually disappearing. We whose eyes of understanding have been opened to see the hope for mankind, see that blessings are soon to be showered

upon the world during the Messianic Kingdom.

More and more it is impressed upen my mind that the numbers of humanity who love righteousness and who prefer it to unrighteousness are very considerable. The major part of the world would rather do right than wrong, provided it did not cost sacrifice to do right. If the world were in a healthy, normal condition, it would not cost sacrifice to do right. It should be easier to do right than wrong, and it would be if things were as they were originally. When God created cur first parents, it was easier for them to obey than to disobey; and when the Divine Kingdom shall introduce the New Order, it will become easier. to do right than to do wrong.

As the days go by, we see still more clearly the glorious hope of the groaning creation, groaning now in weakness, sin and bondage to death. After the Church is delivered, the groaning creation is also to be delivered, set free from the bondage of sin and death into the glorious liberty of the sons of God. (Romans 8:19-22.) Mankind will have the same opportunity for life that Adam had at first. But they will have the advantage of Adam, in that they have had six thousand years' experience under the degradation of the fall, during which the world has been learning the exceeding sinfulness of sin and their need of Divine assistance.

The Present Outlook.

Yet with all the experience of six thousand years behind us, the world to-day is plunged into the most terribie war ever known. Each nation imagines that God is with it. The spirit of anger, bitterness and hate is spreading everywhere, notwithstanding there are blessings, comforts and conveniences to-day such as the world never even dreamed of before. These blessings are coming because we are living in the dawn of the New Dispensation. But the fact is apparent that people are being injured by the wealth and other favors of our day. We have an in

crease of education far above any previous time. And what is the result? It is being used to defraud and overreach fellow-men. It is being utilized to destroy men's lives. In another century, if present conditions were permitted to continue, it would be

worse.

Light and knowledge entering the heart that is unsanctified, unconsecrated to God, merely increase the power to do evil. Through sharpened intellectual perceptions the increase of ability operates along the lines of selfishness. The only ones ready to receive aright God's favors and to profit by them are those who have yielded themselves to God, who have renounced their own wills and have accepted his will. Upon these the blessings of God have a sanctifying effect. Increased knowledge adds to their power for good.

We are glad that we have given our hearts to God, and that our eyes of understanding have been opened to see more and more the lengths, breadths, heights and depths of God's Justice, Wisdom, Power and Love. How refreshing this is to our hearts! It is good to be so near to the ushering in of the New Dispensation; for our Anchor of Hope is grounded firmly in God. Soon He will deliver Zion"when Morning appeareth!"

Trouble Precursor of Coming Glory

Upon the battlefields of Europe there is now being sacrificed the flower of the strength of every country embroiled in war; and the war spirit is spreading. In every country engaged in this mighty conflict the death list is piling up prodigiously. Homes are being devastated; wealth is being consumed. Revolution and anarchy will be sure to follow. this time our Lord Jesus declared, "Except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the Elect's sake they shall be shortened." (Matthew 24:21, 22.) Then "the desire of all nations shall come." Through Messiah's Kingdom.

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shall be granted the peace, prosperity and blessing for which the poor world have so long hoped, and striven in vain to bring about through their own efforts.

Thank the Lord that He has given His people to know what is to follow this dark night of trouble. What a blessing He has granted in the knowledge that there is a golden lining to the black clouds now gathering thick around humanity! Let us not dwell too much on the coming trouble, however. Rather let us point men to the time beyond. Let us tell them that

God has a great blessing in store for all the families of the earth. Let us show them how comprehensive is the Bible Hope. It will be a sad day for the world when the plowshare of trouble shall go in deep; yet the experience will prove to be a blessing. When mankind shall see everything beginning to collapse, then they will begin to realize that there is no hope except in God, then they will be willing to be taught. Then they will say, "Lo, this is our God! We have waited for Him, and He will save us!-Isaiah 25:6-9.

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By Obed Calvin Billman, M. P. L.

RICES are affected by the rapidity with which money circulates. They are affected by the use of supplementary devices, such as bank checks. They are affected by competition and the per capita production of the soil. They are affected by the faith, hope and charity in the realms of speculation and enterprise; but mastering all these factors of prices are the actual amount of gold coin and bullion in sight, and the amount in annual output of the mines.

The former financial stringency and present unsettled conditions occasioned in this country by the war in Europe serve to exemplify the above. The excessive and continued importation of gold at this time is an exceedingly grave and growing menace to the orderly and safe progress of business in this country. There is a normal status, or equilibrium, between countries of the world, in industry, in gold holdings, and in all relations with each other. That status is not fixed, and cannot be changed violently without reaction. It is being so changed now,

and the prudent man will beware of the reaction. The United States is obtaining more than its share of the world's gold, as gold is distributed under ordinary conditions, and when the war is over it will not be able to hold the excess. It is impossible to use additional credit made available by further increase in gold reserves without raising costs and prices in this country, and the war is not going to last long enough for us to get far on a career planned only for war conditions.

It is believed that when the leading nations of the world are drawn together in conference for the restoration of Peace, and for what is believed will result in universal and permanent Peace between all nations, consideration will necessarily be given to the determination and establishment of a stable International Standard of value and other appropriate remedies.

The primary causes of the increasing cost of living, the remedies, and some of the proposed methods of applying these remedies are here outlined:

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The Increasing Production of Gold.

The primary or master cause of the high and increasing cost of living throughout the world is the depreciating purchase power of money through the world's enormous and constantly increasing production of gold. In 1900 the world's production was $254,556,000. In 1913, $455,345,423, or almost double what it was in 1900.

A Dollar Buys Less.

The weight of the gold dollar remains unchanged, but its value or purchasing power does not. It is generally recognized that as the production of gold increased the value of gold must necessarily decrease, but as gold is the standard of value, its depreciation is displayed in its decreasing purchasing power, or in other words, in a constant appreciation of the things which the standard coins will buy. During the last fifteen years, although the gold dollar has remained the same in size, its purchasing power has fallen

govern

Dissolution, ment control, tariff revision downward on trust controlled commodities. Patent law revision.

Abolition of middlemen's agreements.

Cooperation.

Reclamation, i. e., irrigation and drainage projects.

Conservation,

i.

e.,

Federal and State preservation of vast territories.

Scientific and intensive farming, i. e., reclamation, fertilization and conservation of the soil. Vocational education; farm financing.

during this period to perhaps twothirds of its former purchasing value. This depreciation in the value of the respective standards of value, or this shrinkage in what Professor Fisher terms the "Monetary Yardstick," has injured all those who have received a fixed number of dollars, such as wage earners, salaried men, savings bank depositors, and the like.

As a remedy, reference is here made and indorsement given to Professor Fisher's plan for an "International Standard of Value," to be fixed and regulated by an International Monetary Commission. As a method carrying the proposed remedy into effect, I cannot do better than to quote the words of Professor Fisher relative to his plan:

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"My own plan virtually amounts to restoring the seigniorage on gold, that seigniorage to be annually readjusted according to the statistics or index number of the price level. This plan would tend to restrain the coinage of gold through the mints. It would not destroy the gold standard, but merely stabilize it. Gold bullion would still be the ultimate concrete basis of every dollar; but instead of

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