Earlier text: NATURE AND DESTINY OF MAN"Not" Yet "Satisfactory."
So we are compelled to exclaim on reading the reply of Eld. J. V. Himes, to our remarks in No. 14 of present volume, headed, "Not satisfactory." He represents to his readers that we made the following points in our article: "1. Holy time or the Sabbath is the seventh day of the week to us, wherever we may happen to be on the globe. He [the editor of the Review] keeps a seventh part of time. So do we." This is true so far as it goes; but it is not all the truth. And the truth only partially stated, often amounts to an absolute falsehood; for by suppressing a part, an idea is often conveyed just the opposite of what would be expressed were the whole truth stated. The above represents that our view of the Sabbath amounts only to an indefinite seventh part of time, and that whoever keeps a seventh part of time obeys the commandment equally with ourselves; whereas it is well known that we believe that a particular seventh part of time shall be kept, and that any one day in seven, other than the day specified in the commandment no more meets the requirements of the commandment, than it would to observe no day at all. The keeping of Sunday or Monday, or Tuesday, or any other day but the seventh, in place of the seventh, is doing what is not enjoined in the commandment: and those who persist in this, must not be surprised if they find themselves at last speechless before the solemn question, "Who hath required this at your hand?" When God has been so particular as to specify concerning the duties of mankind, he wants them to do just as he has said. Any efforts on their part to improve upon his commandments or to construe them to suit their own notions, will not be recognized or accepted. As an illustration see the case of Nadab and Abihu, Lev. x, 1. They offered strange fire before the Lord, and the Lord consumed them. They were commanded to offer the particular fire of the altar; in place of this they offered common or strange fire, which God had not commanded. They might have reasoned like this: "Fire is fire. Our father Aaron offers fire, so do we. What is the difference what kind of fire it is?" But it did make a vast difference with God, as they learned at the expense of their lives. And just as those sons of Aaron, under the influence of wine, offered to God strange fire under pretense of obeying his commandment which specified a particular kind of fire, so the great mass of Christendom, under the influence of the wine of Babylon, Rev. xvii, 2, offer to God the observance of the first day of the week, under pretense of obeying his commandment, which requires the observance of the seventh. We would point them to the fate of Nadab and Abihu, and bid them beware. "2. That Sunday-keepers have not 'the mark of the beast,' and are not liable to the terrible threatening of the third angel's message (Rev. 14) unless 'they wilfully shut their eyes to the truth.'" What we did say on this point was this: We are accused of denouncing all Sunday-keepers as worshiping the beast, and having his mark. We replied that we do not accuse all Sunday-keepers of now doing this, in the sense of that prophecy; for we believe the prophecy contemplates those who have had light on the subject, and deliberately choose an institution of the beast, in place of one of God's own appointments. Such become subjects of the fearful threatening of that message. But as the case now stands, all Sunday-keepers have not the light on this question, and until the light comes, their course is comparatively free from condemnation. We therefore made the statement that we did, and we still adhere to it, in view of this declaration of our Saviour, by which we think that we are fully justified: "And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light." John iii, 19. But all rejection of the truth after the light has been clearly set forth, we must regard as a wilful rejection, and we believe the people will be fully tested on this question. "3. That the Bible is an insufficient rule of faith and life for the church, and that the 'visions' of Sister W. are 'Heaven ordained means to bring them to the unity of the faith.'" We are truly grieved that Eld. H. should utter against us so grave a charge as that we deem "the Bible an insufficient rule of faith and life for the church;" not only because it is false in itself, utterly and entirely so; but also because it places us on the same ground with that power which has found it necessary to discard the Bible, in order to sustain its dogmas of Sunday-keeping, purgatory, worship of images, and kindred traditions. Standing on the doctrine of "the Bible and the Bible alone," as firmly as any Protestant, we think we have given no ground for the above accusation. The charge is apparently based on our allusion to the visions as a "Heaven-ordained means" to bring us "to the unity of the faith." Eld. H. is doubtless aware that God has placed certain means in the church to bring them to the unity of the faith. At any rate the apostle so declares in the scripture to which we referred, Eph. iv, 11-13. Now can we not avail ourselves of these means which God has placed in the church without exposing ourselves to the charge of discarding the Bible as a sufficient rule of faith and practice? If we cannot, why were they placed in the church? And if we can, does not the charge of Eld. H. recoil upon himself? The Saviour promised his disciples, that after his departure he would send them the Spirit of truth to lead them into all truth. Paul declares to the Corinthian brethren that the Spirit of God operates in a diversity of ways, but that it is one and the same Spirit. We presume Eld. H. has often prayed to be guided by the Holy Spirit into the truth. Now shall he or we presume to dictate to the Almighty in what way his Spirit shall operate in giving us the light for which we seek? Shall we say that if the Spirit of God shall operate upon our own hearts in impressing us with the truth, or leading us to an understanding of his word, that we will receive it; but that if he sees fit to accomplish the same objects through vision in some other member of the church, we will reject it with scorn and contempt? For our own part we can but exclaim, God forbid! Eld. H. can take that course which to him seems most consistent. We take the Bible, and the Bible alone as our rule of faith and practice; but the Bible declares that these agencies shall exist in the church; and hence whenever we see any manifestation which gives undoubted evidence of being the work of the Spirit of God, if we reject it, we do just so far, instead of taking the Bible, reject the Bible. There is no avoiding this conclusion. To make his charge consistent, and save it from recoiling disastrously upon himself, Eld. H. should no more ask the guidance of the Holy Spirit for himself; he should like some who have fallen far into the slough of infidelity, reject the idea of the Spirit, and discard all its operations, under the plea, that the revealed word is sufficient, and we have no need of the enlightening and guiding influence of the Spirit at all. But hold! if he takes this view, he rejects the Bible; for that plainly declares that the Holy Spirit will exist and operate in the church in a diversity of gifts. One horn or the other of this dilemma, he is obliged to take. One thought more on this point. Should we, because he seeks the "Heaven-ordained means" of the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in order to an understanding of the scriptures of truth, charge him with thereby holding the Bible as an "insufficient rule of faith and life," how would he regard it? There was a little rule laid down by the Saviour on a certain occasion, which has been called the "golden rule," probably on account of the value of its principles; with double appropriateness might it be called "golden" at the present day, on account of its scarcity. "4. That we have no commandment to 'refrain from worshiping images, swearing, lying, or stealing, except it be found in the Decalogue.' And he adds, 'that he (the editor of the Voice) does not do these things because they are forbidden by the ten commandments, we are well persuaded.' The reason why these things are unlawful for us, [not 'the reason why we do not do them'] is because they are forbidden by the gospel of Jesus Christ." The editor of the Voice may have penned this statement in all sincerity, but it cannot be correct; for the gospel of Jesus Christ contains no command to us to "refrain from worshiping images." He cannot find it there. It forbids the practice only by enforcing the original law which contains the prohibition. "5. We are accused of 'changing the issue,' because by an inadvertence, the word 'such' was left out of the following quotation from the Review. 'We never heard of any who kept the seventh day getting into any such difficulty.' We have only spoken of one difficulty, and the whole connection shows what difficulty was referred to." A reference to our remarks will show that Eld. H. is laboring under an entire misapprehension here. The omission of the word "such" had nothing to do with the change of issue which we pointed out to him. But it was just this: The question that first came up was, how a definite day could be kept for holy time, in view of the fact that time is gained or lost in going round the world, and that some missionaries on a certain occasion found themselves one day apart in their Sabbath. We replied that this was a question for Sunday-keepers, not Sabbath-keepers, to settle; for they keep just as definite a day as we do, and they were the ones who got into the difficulty. In reply to this, Eld. H. turned right aside to the question of the commencement of the day here, and to the fact that the question had once come up among S. D. Adventists, whether the day should begin at six o'clock or at sunset. Now it seems to us that any one must see that this is entirely another question, from the gain or loss of a day in going round the world. Then he added, "To say that this is a question for Sunday-keepers to settle, not Sabbath-keepers, does not meet the case." But we did not say that this is a question for Sunday-keepers to settle. Whether the day should begin at six o'clock or sunset, we have never proposed to Sunday-keepers to decide. We settled that ourselves, by the word of God, satisfactorily too. Now we say that this is changing the issue completely, and applying to this new issue, language which we used solely in reference to the gain or loss of time east and west. And to this false issue, in which the visions have been made the main object of remark, he has strictly adhered, making no reference whatever to the original and real question under discussion. There are other points which we might notice, such as its being "very kind" in God "to add a special revelation to what was already revealed so plainly" [isn't it "very kind" in him to give us his Holy Spirit to aid us in understanding "what he has already revealed so plainly" in his word? This remark has perhaps a wider application than was intended], and about the difficulty being "removed by the vision," which has now become "a law" with the S. D. Adventists, &c. But we fear a continuation of this controversy would accomplish nothing. While the remarks of the editor of the Voice must place us in a very wrong and unfavorable light before his readers, but few, if any, of them would see our reply. Hence we leave it, with an abiding confidence that truth will progress and triumph, and that its future agitation will give opportunity for all misapprehensions to be corrected, and all the honest in heart to see the light. Report from Bro. Hutchins.
BRO. WHITE: As Bro. Pierce was unable to fill his appointment at Eaton, C. E., last Sabbath in consequence of being called away on business of a very important nature, I attended this meeting. Brethren and sisters were present from Compton, Eaton, Westbury and Melbourne, who though disappointed in not seeing Bro. Pierce, had a mind to work. There was no necessity of reminding any one of this number of the recommendation of the General Conference Committee relative to spending this day as a day of fasting and prayer. Like the people of God anciently, when brought into straitened circumstances, 2 Chron. xx, "they gathered themselves together, to seek help of the Lord." "Give me to feel my brother's woe," seemed to be the language of each heart. Their words and actions, told that they feel that133the cause of God is one. It was a free place and good to be there. I spoke with freedom on the present preparatory work of the church for the solemn events of the future; also on the gifts. The brethren and sisters were ready to follow with their cheering testimonies. The blessing of the Lord rested upon us while attending the ordinances of his house. Union, harmony and love, characterized all of our meetings. On first day, we drove about six miles, where we found a convenient place for baptism. As we followed the example of our Lord and Master in this divine ordinance, the Spirit of God rested upon us. It is pleasing to see the young enlisting in the all-victorious army of the Lord, and following him in the pathway of obedience. May the hearts of the dear saints still be cheered by seeing their children take a stand for the truth and start with them for Mount Zion. To such the Spirit and the bride say, Come. Barton Landing, Vt., Sept. 1., 1864. Sanctuary and Synagogues.
By R. F. Cottrill
WHILE sweeping the Wesleyan chapel in Olcott, after our last monthly meeting, I was thinking of the idea that seems to be in the minds of the people, when we speak of the cleansing of the Sanctuary, as the work of our High Priest in Heaven. The first thought, almost invariably, is, There is nothing in Heaven that needs cleansing. In modern, popular pulpit language, a sanctuary is a meeting-house; and hence, being altogether uninstructed in respect to the important and deeply interesting subject of the Sanctuary of the Christian dispensation, the scriptural idea of cleansing the Sanctuary suggests nothing to their minds but washing and scrubbing, sweeping and dusting. All ought to know that there was but one Sanctuary in the Jewish age, and that the Christian has one, and only one, answering to the former as the antitype to the type. The tabernacle, and afterward the temple,—the place where God recorded his name, and where he dwelt among men by his visible glory—was the Sanctuary of that age; and whoever will read Heb. viii and ix with care, will find that that was a type or shadow of the Sanctuary of this dispensation, and that the latter is in Heaven, where our merciful High Priest, Jesus Christ, now intercedes for those who come to God through him. Everything connected with the intercessions of Christ in behalf of his people should be of deep and thrilling interest to Christians. Yet the mass of Christians of the present day have no interest in the subject of the Christian Sanctuary; because they are wholly ignorant of its existence. How can this ignorance be accounted for? Perhaps no better answer can be given than this: The beast of Rev. xiii, opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme “his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven.” The name of God has been applied to the pope; the Tabernacle or Sanctuary of God, the only place from which pardon can come, has been supplanted by sanctuaries on earth, where the pope, the bishops and the priests, professedly absolve from sin; and the dead saints have been considered ministering spirits to the living, instead of the angels, who “dwell in Heaven,” and do always behold the face of the Father. And so it has come to this, that the heavenly Sanctuary has been lost sight of, and every meeting-house is called a sanctuary. I have said that there was but one sanctuary for God’s people of the former dispensation; but there were many synagogues, which were places of religious instruction and exhortation. Our places of worship may be considered as answering to these. In the German Bible, for synagogue we have schule, which in English is school. These were built by the people, as conveniences might dictate, and sometimes by wealthy individuals. Of a friendly Gentile, it was said, “He loveth our nation, and hath built us a synagogue.” Luke vii, 5. There was a vast difference between the Sanctuary and the synagogues; yet these doubtless were esteemed sacred to divine service. In Ps. lxxiv, they are called “synagogues of God.” Verses 7, 8. They have cast fire into thy sanctuary, they have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground. They said in their hearts, Let us destroy them together; they have burned all the synagogues of God in the land.” From the fact that the synagogue was esteemed the Lord’s, I infer that it is perfectly right to build houses for public worship and religious instruction, and dedicate them to the service of God; and consider them to be sacred for festivals, parties of pleasure, and places of amusement. But let us never forget the difference between the synagogue and the Sanctuary. And while we worship in the place which we have chosen, let our worship be directed to the place that God has chosen as his dwelling place, to the Sanctuary where Jesus our High Priest pleads before his Father’s throne. Some have attempted to justify the practice of highly ornamenting church buildings, by referring to the temple of Solomon, beautified and adorned by God’s direction. Such do not seem to know that the temple was the “pattern of the things in the Heavens,” Heb. ix, 23, and was intended to give a faint representation of the “glorious Sanctuary” in Heaven, which is called, “The beauty of holiness.” Ps. xcvi, 6. “Strength and beauty are in his Sanctuary.” Verse 9. “O, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Marginal reading, “O, worship the Lord in the glorious Sanctuary.” See also Ps. xxix, 2. If you wish to build something to represent God’s dwelling place—the temple of God in Heaven—make it beautiful, splendid, glorious, as possible; but do not undertake it without special direction from Heaven, lest you aid in the work of blaspheming his tabernacle. The cleansing of the Sanctuary is the work of a priest, in blotting out the sins of the people. It was performed in figure once a year under the law. It is done once for all, by our great High Priest in Heaven. The solemn moments for the performance of this work are now passing; and when it is finished, he that is filthy must remain filthy still. Oh, that all were interested in the subject of the Sanctuary! But though the cleansing of a synagogue is not the cleansing of the Sanctuary, the place where God’s people meet to worship him, should be an orderly, a neat and cleanly place. And, to the honor of the usual occupants of the house first above mentioned, and those who attended our monthly meeting, I found no pomace of tobacco, or pools of the juice in any part of the house; a thing, which though common in some places, never ought to be once named as becoming the saints of God. Sabbath Meditations. No. 6.
By J. CLARKE
THE work of self-examination, or the examination of one's heart, is a work of vast importance. Few practice it, consequently few are saved. This work is not peculiar to present truth, but it is a work which all God's people have performed with fidelity and impartiality, all those in the past, who have won a martyr's crown, or the precious testimony that they pleased God. This work is not always a pleasing task; for often one will find evidence of the existence in his mind of hidden motives, and desires, and emotions, which tend as he discovers them to cast a gloom over his thoughts. Often such a person finds within his heart that which he had supposed himself free from, and which he had condemned in others, and which he had held in disgust and hatred. But never is heavenly consolation more sweet than to one who having divested himself of self-righteousness and vanity, calmly addresses himself to thorough heart work, with anxious care and patience, looking over not only the acts, words and thoughts of the past day, or week, or month, but rigidly scanning the past history of his life, as memory has written it. Slowly and carefully he weighs each important or trivial act, in the scales of justice. Treacherous memory often covers up hidden sins; self-love pleads for the extenuation of others; pride puts a false coloring upon motives, and sets up clamors in behalf of itself; or fanaticism entering by a secret door, unhinges all, and the victim rushing to hasty conclusions, from the terror of a guilty conscience, speeds away to open confessions of secret sins, which should only be confessed to God; or in other cases sinks dignity and self respect, in admission and confessions to the wicked scoffer, which neither principle, nor justice, nor common sense demanded. To examination of self, one must bring a cool head, and a praying heart, that memory may faithfully perform her part; that prejudice and partiality may cease to bias the mind, that rigid fidelity and justice may sway the judgment, and most important of all, that the Holy Spirit may aid us in this work. If one had always and daily performed this work, it would now be an easy task; but often it is yet to be begun, and often it is to be done for the first time thoroughly. Many who hope in God, are poor scholars in heart work; but let such rather rejoice that yet an opportunity occurs of this kind, rather than to dread so important a work. Patience is a virtue here, as elsewhere; for one unused to such an exercise, will make slow progress at first. As the child in his alphabet stammers in his first efforts, let not such in their discouragement “give up the ship,” as some have done, because the subject is difficult at first, but rest assured, that there is no work which pays so well as heart work. This work cannot be done in a hurry, nor all at once. But at times you will feel the deep pangs of a wounded spirit for some past wrong. Then is the time to settle it with God and your own soul, by fervent prayer, to view sin in its just and true light, whether it may concern the interests of a third party, and whether God can be glorified and his cause advanced by confession to such third party; and if restitution is demanded, how, and in what manner, if it is possible so to do; and often such a proceeding may be so involved in difficulty, that a good adviser is needed, and then be sure to open your mind to a trusty, faithful, judicious person, who knows and keeps the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus; one who does not pander to a depraved appetite; for such a person may be perverted in his understanding. In the absence of such a friend ponder well your duty, but see that your heart does not harden by procrastination; but think of Zaccheus, who came to the noble resolution of restoring four-fold. But most of our difficulties are of a more difficult and complicated nature than open wrongs and injury of others; for we are liable to habitual sins against ourselves and against God, covetousness, vain talking and jesting, love of the world, coldness toward God and his people, manifested in neglect of privileges, neglect of the Sabbath, not in form perhaps, but in spirit; deadness in prayer, in exhortation, stupidity in reading his word; want of care for his cause and his people, want of anxiety for the salvation of our fellow men, want of interest in the stirring truths of the third message; negative sins as they are often called. Why do they exist in the soul? Here is work for self-examination. This can not all be done in a day; but daily we may avail ourselves of this privilege; and if it is with you as with me, here you will find often the sweetest fruits of the Spirit; for while God approbates such a labor, and grants his Spirit to aid in the work, and brings home to the conscience each wrong often with pungent conviction, when one honestly and faithfully condemns self and with fervent prayer seeks for pardon for the past, and grace for the future, then do divine consolations restore the soul to peace and calmness, the better to fit it for more thorough work, and more satisfactory heart labor, when renewed again. The Fast.
By Mary P. Maxson
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS : Sabbath, Aug. 27th, will long be remembered by the little band of believers here. Bro. Taylor was with us, and spoke in the morning, upon the subject of fasting and prayer. In the afternoon we had a season of prayer, and about fifty joined in the earnest petition, "Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thine heritage to reproach." We felt that it was good to afflict our souls, and humble ourselves before the Lord, in view of our wants as a people. We also felt thankful that a day of fasting and prayer had been appointed; and our hearts filled with grateful love and trust as we realized that thousands134of earnest prayers were ascending to God in behalf of his cause and people. Oh, I am glad that the God of Israel still heareth prayer; and though faith has almost died out of the earth, yet there are a humble few who still plead and prevail with him. The Lord has worked for us hitherto, and we will still trust him. He has always, in all ages, guided and delivered his people when they cried to him in faith, and he is "the same yesterday, to day, and forever." His children are as dear to him now as they were in the days of ancient Israel. And "though the sea may be before us, the enemy in our rear, and mountains on either side of us," yet we will joyfully go forward, trusting in the mighty God of Israel. After spending about two hours in prayer, we retired to the water's side, where three found a grave for their sins, and, I trust, have risen to walk in newness of life. We found that it was sweet to be buried with Christ by baptism, and as we entered the liquid stream, we felt from our hearts to say, We love thy name, we love thy laws,
And joyfully embrace thy cause;
We love thy cross, the shame, the pain,
O Lamb of God for sinners slain.
We sink beneath the mystic flood;
O bathe us in thy cleansing blood;
We die to sin, and seek a grave,
With thee, beneath the yielding wave.
After baptism, we repaired to the house of a brother where the ordinances were administered. Language fails to describe the precious season we here enjoyed. We felt that the blessed Jesus was walking through our midst, "though unseen by human eye." And by faith we heard him whisper, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you;" and we realized that "his peace" is not as the world giveth. And though this heavenly treasure may be bestowed upon us, yet we must not expect at all times to be happy, for he was often bowed beneath a weight of woe which he could not sustain, until strengthened by angels. And if "his peace" is given to us, we too must expect to hear burdens, and to feel deep anguish of soul for the salvation of perishing sinners. I feel to praise the Lord for the sacred institutions of his house, and I am glad there are those who are willing to humble themselves, and wash the feet of their Saviour in the person of his disciples. This humbling duty is just what we need to melt and subdue our proud hearts; and while we were performing it, the blessing of the Lord descended upon us "like dew up the mountains of Zion," and we felt, as a brother remarked, "That the translating power was among us—that we were enjoying drops of the latter rain." As we were closing this holy ordinance and preparing to partake of the emblems of our Saviour's love, the clouds which had been gathering during the day, broke away, and the golden beams of the setting sun streamed into the room, shedding a mellow, holy light upon us; and we thought, What a fitting emblem of the truth which is casting its bright rays o'er our pathway. As we near the end, as time is sinking into the arms of eternity, the holy light of truth from the Sun of Righteousness, is resting upon us with glorious effulgence. And like the departing rays of the summer's sun, its light sheds a heavenly, holy influence upon our hearts and lives. Praise God for this precious light! After commemorating the sufferings and death of our dear Saviour, "we sung a hymn and went out." And as we parted we felt to praise God that we had been permitted to "sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus," and we thanked him too, for these bright spots in our pilgrimage, which are foretastes of the joy that will be ours when we "change our cross of anguish, for a bright, unfading crown." Our hearts have been greatly cheered, and we feel a renewed determination to press on "in the way that is narrow," and we earnestly ask your prayers, dear brethren and sisters, that we may ever be found walking "in all our Lord's appointed ways," and at last be among the jewels that will be gathered home when Jesus shall come. Yours in the bonds of Christian love. "Grapes in the Wilderness."
IN Hosea ix, 10, the Lord says, "I found Israel as grapes in the wilderness." He is telling of his gladness in finding these lost sheep, his delight in taking them up when they were wayward, sinful, wandering souls. It gave him great joy to save them. It was as refreshing to him, as is a cluster of grapes to a weary traveler in the weary wilderness, whose lips are parched, and whose eyes have long rested on barrenness, and who hails with satisfaction and delight, the sight of a vine and its juicy grapes. Dr. Livingstone gives an instance of this feeling: "In latitude 18o we were rewarded with a sight which we had not enjoyed for a year before, large patches of grape-bearing vines. There they stood before my eyes." The traveler thus gives utterance to his delight: "The sight was so entirely unexpected that I stood for some time, gazing at the clusters of grapes with which they were loaded, with no more thought of plucking than if I had been beholding them in a dream." Be sure young reader, that the Lord Jesus will welcome your return to him. No fear of his casting you out. No; your coming will be to him as pleasant as are grapes in the wilderness to a traveler; the very sight of your first arising to go, will be as when the eye of the traveler is gladdened by the green leaves and hanging branches of the vine. And surely you cannot do anything more really satisfying to the Lord than bringing others as Philip brought Nathaniel to Jesus. You are bringing as it were, grapes to the lips; you are giving strange joy to our God, who waiteth to be gracious. He has infinite pleasure in souls that return to him and live. THE BIBLE IN THE FORMATION OF CHARACTER.
An English barrister who was accustomed to train students for the practice of law, and who was not himself a religious man, was once asked "why he put students, from the very first, to the study and analysis of the most difficult parts of the sacred scriptures?"
"Because," said he, "there is nothing else like it in any language, for the development of mind and character." To those Commencing a Religious Life.
1. Do not expect so sudden and remarkable a change as to leave no doubt of its reality. Usually, there is in the Christian heart, a perpetual struggle between good and evil, and thus a continual competition of evidence for and against, according as the good or evil prevails. 2. Evidence of piety is not so much to be sought in high emotions of any kind, as in real humility, self-distrust, hungering and thirsting after righteousness, sorrow for sin, and a continual effort in every-day life, to regulate our thoughts, feelings and conduct, by the Word of God. It is the nature, and not the degree of our affections, which is to be regarded in the examination of our evidences. 3. Do not expect to find in your own case, every thing you have heard or read of in the experience of others. 4. Do not suppose that religion is a principle of such self-preserving energy, that when once implanted in the soul, it will thrive and continue to increase without effort. God will not sustain and bring to maturity the work of grace, without your own voluntary concurrence in the diligent use of means, more than he will cause the harvest to whiten in the field of the sluggard. 5. Do not expect to be made happy by religion unless you become eminent Christians. The Christian may be the happiest man on earth, but he must be a faithful, active, and devoted Christian. 6. Do not make the practice and example of other Christians the standard of piety at which you aim. But look into your Bible and see how Christians ought to live. See how the Bible says those who are Christians must live, and then if you find your Christian friends living in a different way, instead of having cause for feeling that you must do so too, you have only cause to fear that they are deceiving themselves with the belief that they are Christians, when they are not. 7. Remember that your evidence of possessing ceases when any thing else has the first place in your thoughts and interest. Religion should not lessen our love for our friends, or our enjoyment of rational pleasures; but the desire to please God in all our ways, should be the prevailing feeling of the mind. 8. Never for one day omit to read the Bible, with prayer. This is a most important direction. It is of the utmost importance that you should never for once, break through this habit. Prayer and the Bible, are your anchor and your shield; they will hold you firmly in the path of duty, and protect you from temptation. 9. Attempt by your efforts and example, to raise the standard of piety and activity. 10. Be active in promoting all benevolent objects. Make it an object to prepare to lead with propriety, when necessary, in all social duties. At this period, let every Christian learn to guide the devotions of others, as well as to lift up his own private supplications. 11. Remember that the principal duty of a Christian as it respects others, is to excite them to the immediate performance of their religious duty. There is no Christian but can find some one mind at least, over which he can have some influence, and if we can do any thing to save others from eternal death, nothing should for a moment prevent our attempting it. 12. Lastly do not be discouraged because you find that you are very deficient in every one of the particulars specified. Remember that the Christian life is a warfare, and that it is only at the end, that we are to come off conquerors. When you feel your own strength and resolution failing, go to Him who hath said, "My grace is sufficient for thee, and My strength shall be made perfect in weakness." Call upon Him, "and He will be very gracious unto the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it he will answer thee." Remember also, the conflict is short; the race will speedily be accomplished.—Christian Secretary. PRAYER.—When thou prayest for spiritual graces, let thy prayer be absolute; when for temporal blessings, add a clause of God's pleasure; in both, with faith and humiliation; so shall thou undoubtedly receive what thou desirest, or more or better. Never prayer rightly made was made unheard; or heard ungranted.—Quarles. A JUDGE relates the following incident that occurred in his practice: He was trying a petty case, in which one of the parties was not able to pay counsel fees, and undertook to plead his own cause. But he found, in the course of the trial, that the keen and adroit attorney who managed the case for the other party was too much for him in legal strategy, evidently making the worse appear the better cause. The poor man Mr. A., was in a state of mind bordering upon desperation, when the opposing counsel closed his plea, and the case was about to be submitted to the justice for decision. "May it please your honor," said the man, "may I pray?" The judge was taken somewhat by surprise, and could only say he saw no objection. Whereupon Mr. A. went down upon his knees, and made a fervent prayer, in which he laid the merits of his case before the Lord in a very clear and methodical statement of all the particulars, pleading that right and justice might prevail. "O Lord, thou knowest that this lawyer has misrepresented the facts, and thou knowest that it is so and so"—to end of the chapter. Arguments which he could not present in logical array to the understanding of men, he had no difficulty addressing to the Lord, being evidently better versed in praying than pettifogging. When he rose from his knees, Esquire W., the opposing counsel, very much exasperated by the turn which the case had taken, said: "Mr. Justice, does not the closing argument belong to me?" To which the judge replied: "You can close with prayer if you please!" Esq. W. was in the habit of praying at home, but not seeing the propriety of connecting his prayer with his practice, wisely forbore, leaving poor Mr. A. to win his case, as he did, by his novel mode of presenting it. A Testimony of Faith and Holiness
By M. T. Scott
Bro. White: I am thankful that I have the privilege of speaking through the Review and acknowledging to the brethren and sisters my own unworthiness and the goodness of God to me. For more than a year I have been striving to get nearer to God. I have passed through many dark hours, temptations, and strugglings with the enemy; but I feel as if I had passed through a refining fire, and to-day finds me, not with a greater abundance of joy than I have often experienced in my Christian warfare, but with a greater degree of knowledge of godliness for which I most heartily thank my Father in Heaven. Oh how I long to meet with the true children of God, and with them enjoy the gracious outpouring of his Spirit, but I am alone with none of like faith to commune with. But thank God, I have his blessed presence to strengthen me, still I long to be nearer the throne. The Review is a weekly visitor which I prize very highly. Bro. Bourdeau's remarks on holiness came to me as meat in due season. I am striving for holiness without which none shall see God; yet I feel my weakness. Brethren and sisters, let us gird on the armor, and be ready to meet the Bridegroom at his coming. I think there might be much good done, could a messenger come here late this fall, or in the winter; for there have been no meetings here of any kind for over a year; hence the people would be glad to come out and hear the Lord's truth. We shall have a large brick schoolhouse completed by winter, and the country is thickly settled. We live five miles from Bridgeport the nearest point on the Milwaukie and Prarie du Chien R. R.