p. 1 | Signs of the Times, Vol. 15, No. 36. (9/16/1889)

Signs of the Times

Sep 16, 1889

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 16, 1889

The Sabbath and Sunday Trains

By Editor

In speaking, editorially, of the opposition of Sunday newspapers and foreigners to the movement now in progress to discontinue the running of railway trains, the National Presbyterian in its current issue, closes with the following remarkable words: “It is time, then, not only for all Christians, but for all good citizens to unite in sustaining this movement for the restoration of the Sabbath of the Holy Scriptures.” But what has the Sabbath of the Holy Scriptures to do with Sunday trains? The only weekly Sabbath of the Holy Scriptures is the seventh-day Sabbath. Does the Presbyterian mean to range itself on the side of divine prediction and injunction concerning true Sabbath reform?—No, it means nothing of the kind. The Sabbath of the Bible is not Sunday; neither does it ask support from men as citizens. As Christians, as those whose duty it is to obey God, it is the duty of all to observe, and entreat others to observe, the holy Sabbath. As citizens, they have nothing whatever to do with it.

CHRIST’S BURDEN IS LIGHT.

By Mrs. E. G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

“And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment. And I said, Let them set a fair mitre upon his head. So they set a fair mitre upon his head, and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the Lord stood by.” Zech. 3:1-5.

SATAN is ever ready to offer resistance to the work that Christ is willing to do for the souls of men. Jesus asks, “Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?” Have I not chosen this people for myself? Although they have transgressed, the command is given, “Take away the filthy garments.” This will be said concerning every soul that truly repents of sin, and believes in Christ. The righteousness of Christ will be imparted unto him. Christ came to bring divine power to man, to clothe him in his righteousness. He says, “I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands.” He knows us by name. He knows all our trials and sorrows. He has wept and prayed, and he knows how to succor everyone who mourns. Satan will tell you that you cannot hope in God’s mercy; that you are too great a sinner to be saved. But you should tell him that Jesus has said, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Tell him you know you are a sinner, and for that reason alone you need a Saviour.

When Christ bowed on the banks of Jordan, he offered up a prayer in behalf of humanity, and heaven was opened unto him, and the Spirit of God descended in the form of a dove of burnished gold, and encircled his form, and a voice came from heaven which said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” What did this mean? It meant that heaven was opened to the petitions of humanity. When Jesus died on Calvary, the Father accepted the sacrifice, and humanity was exalted in the scale of moral worth with God, because Christ had become a partaker of humanity, and had undertaken its redemption.

The proclamation of Christ on the cross, “It is finished,” tells you that you are prisoners of hope. There are many who idolize feeling. But your hope is not founded upon feeling; it is founded on the word of God. Has not God given you abundant evidences of his love? I point you to Calvary. The light of the cross should dispel every doubt from your mind. God loves you, and he wants to save you. You should cling to the Mighty One, and lay hold on the merit of a crucified and risen Saviour. He is your perfection. He has brought you his righteousness at an infinite cost. Will you accept it?

We should talk faith, and educate the soul to praise God. Says the apostle, “Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God.” While you appreciate the love of God, you will have living faith. You must climb up by Christ; he is the ladder. We could not scale the battlements of heaven were it not for the fact that Christ is the ladder. The base of the ladder rests upon the earth, and the top reaches into the highest heavens. The base of this divine ladder touches the earth. If it had stopped one inch short of that, humanity could never have reached the first round; but it is the goodness of God that leadeth you to repentance, and the grace and mercy of God shines down on every round, for God is above the ladder. Its topmost round reaches into the heaven of heavens. The light of God’s love brightens the whole length of the ladder, and every step upward is a step toward him. When we are mounting this ladder, we are on our way to the mansions which Christ has gone to prepare for those that love him. Says the apostle, “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.”

We should weave faith into all our religious experience. We should lift up our souls, and talk of the glory of God. How many there are who get into a strain of sadness, and talk in a hopeless way. What is the matter?—Satan has been misrepresenting the character of God to them. He has cast his shadow athwart their pathway, and, instead of talking faith, they have talked doubt. They have magnified the power of the enemy, and have become discouraged. When you feel darkness coming upon you, why not talk of the power of him who is the mighty God, the everlasting Father, and the Prince of peace? Why not say, “I have a mighty Saviour. My faith is fixed on him; it is entwined about Christ. He is my hope and righteousness;” and if you do this, it will not be long before your lips will speak forth the praises of God.

We should seek to understand the truth of heavenly origin. Christ is the author of truth, and he intends that we shall understand its principles. But how many say, We have read the Bible, and we cannot understand this or that, and therefore we reject the whole of it. Why is it that they cannot understand some part of the truth?—It is because they seek to interpret the word of God according to their own preconceived opinions. There are others who read the Bible only to prove their own position, and to bend everything according to their own way of thinking. He who cherishes error, has no one to blame but himself; for he who seeks diligently for truth will find it, and be sanctified through it. We should desire to know the truth in every point. The understanding is to be sanctified through the knowledge of the truth. We should desire to see its beauty, and to have its precious light shining upon our pathway.

Satan would have our minds belittled by contact with trivial things. The mind that feeds upon common thoughts, will be a common mind; but if it is carried up to the height of eternal things, the things of eternity will become full of interest, and the mind will be elevated and ennobled. Our physical being is composed of what we eat, and our spiritual nature is also composed of what it feeds upon. If you allow the mind to dwell upon common things, it will be of a common order. If you are here as pilgrims and strangers, you will talk of the country to which you are traveling. You will act as though you expected to dwell there. The mine of truth has been left to us to explore, and how shall we know what are its hidden treasures unless we dig in its depths? We must search as a miner searches for gems in the earth. There is nothing that can give us greater breadth of mind than the daily study of God’s word. We should wrestle with the difficult problems of the Scriptures. The divine Teacher will help you in the study of truth. The angels will be at your side to aid you to understand its principles and appropriate its promises.

Let us fill memory’s hall with beautiful pictures of divine things. Why is it that we talk so much of the commonplace affairs of life? We should have a more elevated conversation. Says the apostle, “Be ye holy in all manner of conversation.” If we should obey this injunction, it would place us on vantage ground. Let us talk of the hope of immortality, and seek to win others to Christ. We should not act as though we were bearing a grievous yoke when we seek to fulfill the requirements of God. Jesus says, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Our Saviour is not in Joseph’s new tomb. He is risen, and has ascended up on high, where he ever liveth to make intercession for us.

Let us talk of the blessed eternal inheritance that is reserved in heaven for us who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation. As you dwell upon heavenly things, you will become assimilated to the divine. Shall we not honor God? Shall we not seek to educate all within the sphere of our influence to honor him? If we ever join the song of the redeemed above, we must begin to sing the song here. If we would fill the vault of heaven with rich music, we must learn the notes of praise below. Talk not to me of earth; for my eyes have looked upon the King in his beauty, and it is the greatest and most glorious work to honor God. Let me be little and unknown, but let my name have a place in the Lamb’s book of life, and be immortalized among the heavenly host. I want to praise God with an immortal tongue. No mortal language can describe the glory of Heaven. We should let the theme of God’s love absorb the whole mind and attention. We should make a life-long effort to seek by patient continuance in well-doing, for immortality and eternal glory. I want to receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away, when the faithful people of God receive their crowns of life. When we catch a little glimpse of the glory of God, our hearts are filled with inexpressible joy. We must look away from self to Jesus, for he has provided that we may have joy and peace in the Holy Ghost; and as we behold the matchless charms of Christ, we shall be changed into the same image.

Proposed Constitutional Amendment

SENATOR BLAIR is said to be confident that a prohibitory amendment to the National Constitution will be submitted in 1890.

Christ as Lord and Master

"LORD" means "master;" and master implies the opposite, "servant." To call one Lord implies that we are his servant. This borne in mind will give additional meaning to many texts. It shows the hypocrisy of the class mentioned in Matt. 7:21. They say "Lord, Lord," implying by that that they are his servants,—those who serve him,—while they do not do his will. Wherefore the Master’s rebuke, "Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?" Luke 6:46. If Christ is our Lord, we are his servants; and if we are his servants we will obey his teachings. There is no other conclusion.

Temptation and Divine Help

WHEN temptations come to us, it is no evidence that God has deserted us and that all of our surroundings are necessarily evil. More or less darkness accompanies every trial, but it is not total darkness, unless we make it so by rejecting the offers of divine help which the Lord graciously promises us. Christ in the wilderness probably endured more severe temptation than ever fell to the lot of mortals. The loneliness of the desert, the rapaciousness of the wild beasts, and the direct presence of Satan himself, all these things were there. But angels of glory were there also, and, notwithstanding the presence of these other things, their pure companionship and holy influence were ministered to Christ in his hour of need.

Christ Tempted as We Are

ONE of the greatest comforts and aids to the Christian who is warring against foes without, and crushing out tendencies within, is to know that he has a high priest who, though “higher than the heavens,” can be touched with the feeling of his infirmities; who was in all points tempted as his followers are tempted, yet he was without sin. If Jesus had sinned, while we might love his fellowship and teaching, we would have no confidence in him as a Saviour; for if he had failed in his warfare, he would in ours. If he had not been tempted even as we, we would not have confidence in his help, for we would reason that he had never met our temptations in our frailty, that he had never resisted the inherited passions and weaknesses of generations; therefore he could not know how to help us. Lack of power in the one case, and lack of knowledge and wisdom in the other, would be the constant objection and cavil brought by the skeptical against such a Saviour.

BUT neither of these objections can be brought against Christ Jesus. He came in the “likeness of sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:4); was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh” (Rom. 1:3); was “made of a woman, made under the law” (Gal. 4:4); he “took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham” (Heb. 2:16); in fact, “in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted.” Therefore, according to the word of truth, Jesus possessed the sinful flesh with all of its sinful and inherited tendencies to evil from Judah down. Therefore he can be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, as he was tempted even as we. Heb. 4:15. And Christ has power to help. He suffered being tempted, but it was always the suffering of travail; it brought forth fruit of righteousness. Men often suffer through temptation, the suffering of sin. Christ’s suffering was the travail of righteousness. With sinful tendencies in his flesh, he never sinned, but “condemned sin [overthrew sin] in the flesh,” a triumphant conqueror, first over sinful flesh, second over the results of sin, death. Rom. 8:3, 4. This is our Redeemer. He knows how to help; he is “mighty to save.”

"WAIT PATIENTLY."

By Frances Ridley Havergal

God doth not bid thee wait To disappoint at last; A golden promise, fair and great, In precept-mould is cast. Soon shall the morning gild The dark horizon’s rim, Thy heart’s desire shall be fulfilled, "Wait patiently for him."

He doth not bid thee wait Like drift-wood on the wave, In fickle chance or fixèd fate, To ruin or to save; Thine eyes shall surely see, (No distant hope, or dim) The Lord thy God arise for thee,— "Wait patiently for him."

—Frances Ridley Havergal.

THE LAST APOSTASY.

THE WEDDING OF CHURCH AND STATE—AN ALLEGORY.

It was a fair day in the world; for one who had been a beggar, forlorn, disconsolate, had been befriended by the Prince of heaven. The princes of earth had passed her by as she sat mourning and uncomely. With scorn they had left her by the way to die; but this Prince was the Son of Love. Her very mourning won him. Her need drew all his heart as charms draw others. He had looked with compassion into her eyes, faded with tears; into her heart, sick with sin; and though her beauty had consumed through bitter nights of sorrow, he had smiled, and said, "She shall be fair through my comeliness which I will put upon her." She languished with a dread disease which nothing could avail to heal but his life-blood, and from his heart, from cruel wounds, he poured it forth. She was refreshed, revivified, and in a fragrant fountain he had opened for her, her filth was cleansed away.

He brought her robes of regal glory, and clothed her. He placed his jewels on her neck and brow; he put his royal beauty in her face. He gave her love; betrothed her as a virgin to himself.

Long she had lived a life of shame, and now ere he could take her to his bosom, his Father had decreed that she must be tried, proved, and wholly sanctified. True, love had changed her heart, washed it and made it white, but in her blood still ran a tide of inclination to be subdued by her own will, combined with his rich power, to prove her loyalty to her betrothed. He set her in a palace, gave her power, and then withdrew his personal presence from her; but every day she found his tokens near her, and evidences that his love was warm. Now came rare flowers from gardens royal, now rich fruits, now robes and jewels, now messages of love and sweetness, and sometimes, as she sat thinking of him, around her flowed the fragrance of his presence, and myrrh and frankincense and spikenard made rich perfume.

The maiden had no other thought than of his coming to claim her as his bride. But the Prince had an enemy in the land who once had been a favorite at his courts; foul envy had defiled his innocence, and he had fallen in sight of Heaven and earth, and she, whom the Prince of Love had rescued, had one time been his victim.

This fallen prince, disguised, came to her palace, not as one whom she had cause to hate, not as a foul deceiver, but as true and loyal. He had known the way of court, and with smooth phrase, as one superior, he talked with her, praising her beauty with insinuous art, praising her power as worthy of more place, regretting that she must within a palace so narrow be confined, when courts and companies had need of her, and would delight in her fair, pleasant looks.

At first the maid rejected his foul praise. "My beauty is my Prince's," she replied, "and he shall place it where it pleases him. And though confined, renown of it hath filled the world, and many come to look on him in me, and love him for reflection of his grace. My power, that, too, is his. I want no larger scope than he may give; for heaven and earth are mine through him. I have commission from him, fair as love and long as time. To me 'tis given to herald his message to his subjects here, to bind the broken-hearted, to relieve the oppressed, to teach all men of my fair Prince, who comes erelong to free them from their enemy. Are not all men made happier since he gave this power to me his handmaid? Ah! good prince, you are his friend, and know the enemy feels my Prince's power through me. I feel his stir and wrath in all the land, lest my Prince shall o'erturn his usurped power. Nay; I have power enough. I'm set to be a light, to teach all men how they may be restored as I have been, how they may render service sweet with love to him who first loved them."

But as with specious art the tempter plied, presenting this and that in lights half false, and as she saw not Him who watched with care, from day to day, she listened, and delayed. And as he who hesitates is lost, so she; for last a fine suggestion filed its way, and like a drop of poison in her blood, it touched to life the tide of other days. She realized a moment where she stood, and yet she dallied, and stooped down at last to take upon her neck temptation's yoke, and lose love's liberty.

"She could have lovers, why wait on alone? She could hold scepters, why remain for one long promised and withheld?" Such thoughts came to her soul. Now was the tempter's hour. She sought not for her Prince. She sent no message to the palace gate that the tempter might be banished. True, ambassadors went ever to and fro. Now sad they grieved to tell her Prince, what he already knew, and yet she must be proved.

One day the dark prince came,—in fact so often now, she felt not lost that her own Prince came not. His tokens she neglected, yea, e'en shunned. The dark prince brought not poor and lowly to her palace gate; but all the honorable of earth. The princely and the royal were her friends. She glorified herself and lived deliciously. She said, "I sit a queen, and see no sorrow."

To-day a royal retinue was at the door, for the dark prince had come to give her formal escort to the highest earthly dignitary and power. He'd won an invitation, somewhat reluctant, true, from the State hall, and would give her formal introduction to Lord Caesar. The dark prince always spoke of him to her with highest praise; and said, at last, that day, "I hope to see Lord Caesar and you some day consorted. He is great and strong, and could protect your frailty with his might, and set you high as you deserve to be. You've won your subjects from the poor and low, but once his bride, you'd be the whole world's queen. He makes the laws of the nation, and is, too, as you yourself, a delegated power of God, to execute the will of God on earth."

"Yes," said the lady, "I well know Lord Caesar, for once I met him in the days of yore. I know his power and work, and yet I've been commanded for a mission vastly higher than his. He only is to deal with laws in civil rights, to dictate man's behavior to his fellow-man and to society. As a protector to these social rights he lives, and what am I to him?"

"Yes," said the prince, "and yet you aid his work; for do you not uphold the higher law of man's relation to his God, and does not your work lead to betterment of that society he governs?"

"True," said the lady, "yet our work's not one. My Prince hath said to render Caesar's due, and render also unto God his due. Now all that's his is but the conduct of man's acts to man. He must protect the outer life, the outer store, the outer chastity, honor, home; but hath he aught to do with framing law for thought? He wields the sword of civil government; but I must preach the great remedial news, that those who have transgressed the moral government, by thought, or word, or deed, may be forgiven, and made the loyal sons and citizens of heaven. 'Tis mine to draw but not compel men's hearts to that great government whose law so broad takes cognizance of even the very thoughts and intents of the heart."

"And yet, look round you, lady; see men's crime. See how the world sweeps on to ruin dire. See how your power alone to do men good is weakening day by day. You've tried your theory to the uttermost. I hold that you and he must co-operate to remedy the evil. Are not your churches empty? How can you preach your news? See how the rabble holds your worship-days. See how monopolies swing on the poor to seven days' work each week. Society will go to shreds indeed, if this is not disturbed. Your words are good and fine; but where's their power? Nay, all that needs to make your sway complete, is Caesar's sword to put them into force. Then you may sit a queen indeed. Come, join your fortunes with this noble man."

As the prince talked, the lady yielded all in her own soul, she thrust the arguments of truth and right aside, aye, stabbing her convictions to the heart. Pride rose. Ambition filled her soul with dreams of power, with dreams of wealth and honor. Would not the world bow down in reverence at her state?

"And have you talked with this Lord Caesar?" she asked, "and does he favor such a union? If I remember, he was once opposed to such alliance."

Then the dark prince smiled. "Yes, I have talked with him, and yet you've both reluctant seemed. Strange, for you were made for one another. He's harder to be won than you, perchance, to this bright scheme of mine; and yet I apprehend no trouble now, since you come to him as a guest of his to woo his favor."

"I woo!" exclaimed the lady. "O good prince, 'twere sadly out of place for me to woo. That is his right, but it is not for me. I scorn to persuade a reluctant lover, sir."

Then once again the dark prince counseled her, soothing her indignation with rare wiles; telling her how her wooing need not be a thing unveiled, but all so subtly guised that none need know she sought his heart at all.

Once she'd have scorned such evil arts, but now the dark prince held a spell of power o'er her she could not break, and carried her a captive to his will.

It was the time of entrance to the hall. And up the stairs were carpets for her feet, and page and servant waited at her call, and all with great magnificence was done. Was it not sweet to have such homage? to find the world before her in a moment? And if she won, she'd soon be queen of all.

(To be continued.)

REVELATION AND INSPIRATION.

(Concluded).

WHAT Peter thought of the writings of Paul appears in the following passage found in his second epistle:—

"Even as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction." 2 Peter 3:15, 16.

It should be remembered that the term "scripture" or "scriptures" had a technical meaning, and was applied to inspired writings in distinction from those not inspired. The phrase "the other scriptures," as here used by Peter, implies that he regarded the epistles of Paul, to which he refers, as coming under the general category of "scriptures," and standing on the same basis of inspiration as the scriptures of the Old Testament. He classes these epistles with "the other scriptures," in respect to whose inspiration there was no question in his mind.

So, also, Peter, in his first epistle to "the strangers scattered" in different parts of Asia Minor, alludes to the fact that the gospel was preached to them "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." 1 Peter 1:12. The history of Paul's missionary labors, as given in the book of Acts, shows that he was at least one of the preachers referred to by Peter. He traveled extensively through that country, and preached the gospel "with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven." He afterward wrote epistles to several of the churches planted by him; and these epistles, as Peter assumes in the passage above quoted, like the scriptures of the Old Testament, were given by the inspiration of God.

5. The book of Revelation, written by the apostle John, in the most express manner affirms its own inspiration, or rather that of the man who wrote it. The first five words—

"The Revelation of Jesus Christ"—constitute its proper title. John was directed to write this book and told what to write. The exact words, to be sent respectively to the seven churches in Asia, were in each case dictated to him. The symbolic visions which he had were "signified" to him by the angel of God; and all that he did was to record what he had seen and heard when he "was in the spirit on the Lord's day."

6. Taking, then, into the account the promise of inspiration made by Christ to the apostles as a permanent endowment of their office, and the fulfillment thereof on the day of Pentecost and its further fulfillment in their subsequent history, and also the apostleship of Paul and what he says in regard to apostolic inspiration, together with Peter's reference to the epistles of Paul and also the book of Revelation, we come to the conclusion that the sacred writings composing the New Testament and appearing in the apostolic age, which, with the exception of the Gospels of Mark and Luke and the book of Acts, are apostolic in their direct authorship, were originally produced under the full and complete inspiration that these writings assign to the Old Testament; and that, like the latter, they are, upon their own showing, to be accepted as a part of the revealed word of God.

The writings, not directly apostolic, were prepared by those who had the advantage of apostolic companionship. Mark, the writer of the book bearing his name, is spoken of by Peter as his "son" in the gospel; and Luke, the writer of the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, is spoken of by Paul as his "fellow-laborer." Both held a close relation to the apostolic ministry.

It is not true, as has sometimes been said, that the New Testament, while asserting the inspiration of the Old Testament, fails to assert its own inspiration. One who looks at all the facts appearing in the New Testament, if believing them to be facts, cannot fail to see that its inspiration is involved in these facts. It is, with the exceptions above stated, directly apostolic in its source, and was written to give instruction, sometimes to individuals, and at others to churches organized by apostolic labors. The writings of the New Testament were generally received by the early church as having apostolic and divine authority; and such has been the view of the Christian church in all subsequent ages, and such it will be to the end of time.

7. The result is that the church of God on earth is and must be a Bible church—a church with the Bible for its final authority and supreme guide in respect to all matters coming within the circle of its teaching. The Bible is by it regarded as the word of God in human language. The inspiration of its record, including alike its ideas and its language, is the certificate of its divine authority. Dispossess it in thought of this quality, and to thought it ceases to be the word of God, and becomes simply the word of man, and may hence be disputed in respect to any statement made therein, whether relating to doctrine or matters of fact. The moment we make the Bible less than what it purports to be, and by so much detach God's authority from it, whether by limitation, exclusion, qualification, or denial, we place ourselves in a position that either impairs or wholly destroys its power to govern our faith, or supply to us the grounds of religious comfort and hope. We have no living prophet or apostle to teach us; and if we discard or doubt what, according to the Bible, was taught by prophets, by Christ, and by his apostles, with the sanction and authority of God, in ages long since past, then, as to what we shall believe, we are stranded upon a shoreless sea. Looseness of thought in respect to the inspiration of the Bible, may do for infidels, cavilers, and free-thinkers, but for Christians, never.

Peter wrote very wisely when he penned the following words: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God." 1 Peter 4:11. There is no danger that the church will make too much of the authority of the Bible founded on the doctrine of its inspiration, or that it will too implicitly believe the doctrine and the record which is thereby authenticated. The danger lies wholly in the opposite direction. The inspiration of the Bible record and the authority of God, as connected therewith, must stand or fall together. We must have his presence and authority in the words of the holy Scriptures, or we cannot, through these words, have any assurance of his presence and authority in their contents. His authority attaches to the Scripture record, if at all, through the inspiration of the latter, in a sense that makes it a true record, and without this element in it, the record carries with it no such authority. If the inspiration be so defective that human errancy is inextricably mingled with it, then the record ceases to be a sure and infallible guide to thought.

God, on the other hand, being in the Scripture record, alike in respect to its language and its contents, then what it says he says. We read to hear. When we have the Bible in our hands and look upon its pages, we have before our eyes words to which he has annexed his sanction—words not to be trifled with or treated as a fable, but to be soberly considered and implicitly believed, and, when they prescribe a duty, to be earnestly and honestly obeyed. We are dealing with God himself and not merely with man. He is speaking to us through his word. It makes a vast difference with the impression of the Bible upon the head and the heart, whether we do or do not regard it as the inspired word of God. His authority in the Book, acting upon us through the Book, constitutes a very large element of its power to govern, sanctify, and bless the mind and heart of man.

"Within this ample volume lies The mystery of mysteries. Happiest they of human race To whom their God has given grace To read, to fear, to hope, to pray, To lift the latch, to force the way; And better had they ne'er been born That rued to doubt, or read to scorn." —Samuel T. Spear, D.D., in N. Y. Independent.

MATTHEW TWENTY-FOUR.

By J. H. Waggoner

BY THE LATE ELDER J. H. WAGGONER.

(Continued.)

IN connection with the claim put forth in regard to “the end of the world,” another is presented as follows:—

2. The disciples associated together all that the question contained, and placed “these things,” that is, the overthrow of the city, with the coming of Christ and the end of the world, or age.

But that is only conjecture. No one has a reason for affirming that such was the idea of the apostles. Here we might safely leave the affirmation, for no one is bound to disprove a conjecture. But we will further notice it.

If it were something more than conjecture,—if it were possible even to prove that such was their idea of the order of events then future,—that fact would not be evidence that they were or are to be fulfilled at the same time. For we know that, at that time, the disciples were laboring under mistakes in regard to the time and order of the fulfillment of future events. Take as proof of this, the parable which the Lord spake when he was going into Jerusalem. Luke 19. They thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear. To correct this impression, the parable of the nobleman was spoken. If they understood the parable at the time when it was spoken, it did not fully do away with the impression in their minds, as is proved by what they did when they entered Jerusalem. We cannot believe that they would have hailed him as the son of David, and rejoiced before him as a king in his triumph, if they had realized that he was going into the city to be condemned and crucified as a malefactor. Palm branches and shouts of triumph did not attend the steps of the lowly and the condemned.

Again, after his resurrection he reproved two of his disciples who, though they had trusted that he would redeem Israel, were then sad and disheartened. They did not then understand that Christ ought “to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory.” The suffering part was still a mystery to them. And some of the apostles were so slow to realize that which he had spoken to them that they could hardly be persuaded that he was indeed risen from the dead. And after he had been with them full forty days, speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom, they did not yet understand “the times and the seasons,” and therefore asked him, “Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?”

Would it, then, be surprising if they had been mistaken in the order of the events of which the Saviour spoke, at the time of his speaking, as recorded in Matthew 24? It would be quite natural for them to suppose that the holy city and the temple of the Most High would stand until the judgment and the final consummation. As we now see, had such been their opinion, it would not be proof that such was the chronological relation of these events. But, we repeat, that cannot be proved; it is only conjecture.

3. It is necessary to notice that prophecy is not always fulfilled in the order in which it is given. This is often seen in the Old Testament, where the two advents are sometimes spoken of in such close connection that the reader might suppose they would occur nearly together. It is seen in the book of Revelation, which contains several lines of prophecy, each reaching down to the close of the present dispensation. So in Matthew 24, and parallel chapters; we can only learn the correct application of some of the statements contained therein by comparing them with other scriptures. There is no dispute that they refer to the destruction of the temple and the overthrow of the city, as well as to the second coming of the Lord.

We will now offer several points of proof that this chapter was not all fulfilled at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans; and that the coming of Christ, spoken of in Matthew 24, did not then take place, and has not yet taken place.

Lives Fashioned by Prayer

By Leighton

THERE are great lives that fashion themselves in prayer. Their communion with God gives them somewhat of the dignity of their associations. All the belittling things of life are obscured and hidden under the august conceptions that engross the mind when it is holding fellowship with God. Outwardly, such a life is filled with the peace and warmth of the gospel, and it is fruitful in spiritual results that shall be counted among the treasures of heaven.—Leighton.

2. THE GREATEST TRIBULATION.

It is contended that the greatest tribulation that ever befell the Jews was in the siege and destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Against this we interpose two objections:—

(1.) It is by no means clear that the overthrow of Jerusalem by the Romans was the greatest tribulation the Jews ever suffered. All the scenes of horror described by historians, as occurring at that time, are by the inspired records ascribed also to the conquest of the Babylonians. See the Lamentations of Jeremiah, especially chap. 4:10,—"The hands of the pitiful women have sodden their own children; they were their meat in the destruction of the daughter of my people." Also, Daniel 9:11-13: "The curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him. And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil; for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us."

(2.) It is quite certain that the tribulation here spoken of was not upon the Jews, but upon the disciples of Christ. It was for "the elects' sake" that those days should be shortened; and this does not refer to the enemies of Christ. In Daniel 12:1, it is said that there shall be a "time of trouble, such as was not since there was a nation." Now there cannot be two times of trouble, each the greatest, and each greater than ever shall be. But there can be the greatest tribulation which shall ever come upon the followers of Christ, and it be distinct from the greatest time of trouble which ever comes upon the nations or the rejectors of Christ. In that time of trouble spoken of by Daniel, the saints, instead of coming under it, are "delivered, every one whose name is found written in the book."