p. 90 | Review and Herald, Vol. 46, No. 12. (9/23/1875)

Review and Herald

Sep 23, 1875

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 23, 1875

THE GIFTS AND OFFICES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.—NO. 1.

By Joseph Harvey Waggoner

BY ELD. J. H. WAGGONER.

“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.” John 14:16, 17.

There is not a subject presented in all the Scriptures which is of greater interest and importance than that of the gospel gifts and manifestations of the Spirit of God. In the words of the above text, it is the Comforter to the pilgrim who finds his life one of warfare, and who is told that in the world he shall have tribulation. It is the Guide to lead us “into all truth;” to aid us to escape from the darkness of this wicked world and to find the light of life. It is the Sanctifier, in connection with “belief of the truth,” to impress that truth upon our hearts, and to soften our hearts that we may appreciate, and with humble reverence receive, the word of truth. And its influence extends to “the world,” to whom it is a Reprover of sin.

The subject is a very solemn one; it is not to be approached in a light and irreverent manner. Jesus, the holy Son of God, who claimed divine honors, who said that “all should honor the Son even as they honor the Father,” also said:—

“Whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world which is to come.” Matt. 12:32.

The solemn importance of these words is increased by the consideration that they were uttered as a rebuke to the Pharisees, who ascribed the works of Christ to the power of Satan instead of to the Spirit of God. They did not speak of the Spirit at all, directly; they even may have felt the most becoming reverence for that Spirit in name. But their condemnation rested in this, that they rejected that which proceeded from the Spirit of God without a patient, careful, submissive, and prayerful consideration of its nature and its claims. How careful, then, should we be in our investigations of this subject, and in our actions in reference to it. For to ascribe the works of Satan to the Spirit of God, is to debase the Spirit, and to exalt the power of the adversary to divine honor. And to ascribe the gift and works of the Spirit of God to Satan, is to blaspheme so as to have no forgiveness forever. May the Spirit itself guide us into all truth, and save us from both deception and presumption.

There is one question which has been much controverted in the theological world upon which we have never presumed to enter. It is that of the personality of the Spirit of God. Prevailing ideas of person are very diverse, often crude, and the word is differently understood; so that unity of opinion on this point cannot be expected until all shall be able to define precisely what they mean by the word, or until all shall agree upon one particular sense in which the word shall be used. But as this agreement does not exist, it seems that a discussion of the subject cannot be profitable, especially as it is not a question of direct revelation. We have a right to be positive in our faith and our statements only when the words of Scripture are so direct as to bring the subject within the range of positive proof.

We are not only willing but anxious to leave it just where the word of God leaves it. From it we learn that the Spirit of God is that awful and mysterious power which proceeds from the throne of the universe, and which is the efficient actor in the work of creation and of redemption.

When the earth was just spoken into existence, while yet all was desolate and void, “The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Gen. 1:2.

The original word for moved has the sense of hovering or brooding, and does not mean moving, merely. It evidently refers to a process of formation, by the power of the Spirit of God, which immediately followed the act of creation.

That the same power is active in the work of redemption is largely shown in that the incarnation of the Saviour, his teachings, miracles, and resurrection; the reproving and conviction of sinners; the enlightening, comforting, and sanctifying of believers; and, finally, the resurrection of the just, are all ascribed to the Spirit of God. No tongue can tell—no heart can conceive, how greatly we are indebted for its operations in our behalf.

It is the representative of the Saviour during his absence from the church. When Jesus told the disciples he was going to leave them, their hearts were sad. But he gave them a twofold consolation. (1.) He promised to come again and receive them unto himself. And from that hour to the day of their death they longed and prayed for his second advent to the earth. Being pilgrims yet “in an enemy’s land,” we pray with them, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

(2.) He said he would not leave them as orphans, or comfortless, in this world of tribulation; he would pray the Father, and he would send them another Comforter. And as Christ came in the name of the Father, John 5:43, and therefore represented the Father, inasmuch that they who had seen him had seen the Father, because the Father was in him and did the works which he did, John 14:9, 10, so the Spirit is come in the name of Jesus; verse 26. The Spirit is to us as truly a representative of Christ, as he was of the Father. He that received not Christ received not the Father; 1 John 2:2, 3. Even so, he that hath not the Spirit hath rejected the Son—“he is none of his.” Rom. 8:9. And because the Father sends the Spirit in the name of the Son, and the Son purchased the gift for us, it proceeds from both to us, and is called both the Spirit of God and the Spirit of Christ. Compare 1 Pet. 1:10, 11 and 2 Pet. 1:21.

The Spirit is to abide with the disciples of Christ till his return; for the word forever has this extent in the promise. The Saviour lived but a few years upon the earth; his ministry covered a period of only three and a half years. But the presence of the Spirit as a Guide and Comforter shall be during the entire dispensation—the gospel age.

A most important truth is taught in Luke 11. Though the Spirit is to “reprove the world,” it does not act as a Comforter and Sanctifier to any unless they voluntarily receive it. Jesus was in the world, and was “the light of the world,” but the world rejected the light. But, “to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God.” John 1:12. And, though the Spirit is sent into the world to abide in the world to fulfill its various offices, Jesus taught us that we should pray for it. The teaching of many in this degenerate age is contrary to this; but to this refers directly the oft-quoted injunction:—

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.”

After giving illustrations of the readiness of parents to give needed things to their children, he continued:—

“If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him.” Luke 11:9–13.

Therefore, we conclude that if we do not believe the Spirit should be prayed for, or if, for any cause, we neglect to ask for it, we cannot expect to receive it.

But an objection is raised against this truth. It is said, There is danger of being deceived; there are “seducing spirits” in the world; 1 Tim. 4:1; and men are liable to be led by these, while they think they are led by the Spirit of God; and the danger is very great, as Satan transforms himself into an angel of light.

There is much truth in this objection; not only is there danger of being deceived, but thousands are deceived, and led on by the deception to their destruction. And therefore we should be all the more careful in our walk and in our prayers. But let us examine our Saviour’s illustrations.

“If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish will he for a fish give him a serpent? or if he shall ask an egg, will he give him a scorpion?” Verses 11, 12.

Now if a son be so blinded, or his senses so benumbed, that he cannot tell the difference between bread and a stone, or a fish and a serpent, or an egg and a scorpion, then is his case indeed deplorable. And if he is so far from his father, and so little acquainted with him, that, when he asks for bread a deceiver steps in; and, pretending to be his father, gives him a stone instead, and he does not know the difference, his case may be regarded as desperate.

But what would the objector think or say should he see a son refuse to take bread from the willing hand of a kind father because stones were so numerous in the land? Should such a course be pursued by any one, we could only expect that death by starvation would be the result.

The apostle James gives important instruction on this point. If we “ask amiss,” either in lack of faith or to gratify our selfishness, we shall not receive. God’s will and glory must be kept in view. Self must be denied and crucified. Our consecration to God must be complete. Our submission to his will and pleasure must be perfect, so that we are ready to bear any cross, to accept any truth, or to take any advance step in the work of faith; in short, we must abide in him and have his word abiding in us, and then we may ask what we will and it shall be done. John 15:7.

Many fail to receive the gracious influence of the Spirit, or receiving it, abuse it, and so shut up the way of further blessings by receiving it as the end of Christian effort instead of as a means. When such are blessed of Heaven they consider that the object of religious effort has been accomplished; and they sit down to enjoy themselves, or congratulate themselves over their gifts and graces. A greater mistake could not be made. So does the gormandizer take his food as the means of self-gratification, and this is the end of his efforts. But the man who realizes the responsibilities of life, and who has a true interest in the faithful discharge of life’s duties, accepts his food as the means of gathering strength for future labor and usefulness. The Spirit will be given to all who ask for it as a means of renewing their strength, that they may engage more successfully in the Christian warfare, and gain new victories to the glory of the Captain of our salvation.

Paul speaks of “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” Heb. 5:14. It is unfortunate that so many lack this discernment; they have never so used their senses as to have them available to any practicable benefit. In gifts of the Spirit they discern only evil. Every object is to them a stone, a serpent, or a scorpion. Humility, self-denial, cross-bearing, and earnest prayer would enable them to see unnumbered blessings, great and precious, clustering along their pathway, where all is now dark, dreary, and forbidding.

The objections which these offer against accepting the manifestations of the Spirit will hold equally good against uniting with any church; because, while the church of Christ is a unit (for “there is one body”), there are many and diverse churches in the world, and therefore the chances are that we shall unite with a wrong one, and so be led astray. But the objector readily replies, We must choose that one which bears the divine impress, which presents the characteristics of the true church according to the New Testament. That is right. And so also with regard to the Holy Spirit and its manifestations. We must compare all with the divine standard, and receive that which will bear all the tests of the word of God, and reject all which are condemned by that infallible rule. It is to be regretted that so little attention is paid to this important subject; that so little is known, in general, concerning the promises, the operations, and the gifts of the Spirit of God.

There is one office of the Spirit which is not only ignored, but denied by many at the present time. It is that of Reprover. Jesus said:—

“And when he is come he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment.” John 16:8.

They who deny the exercise of this office to the Spirit say that the promise of the direct presence of the Spirit is only to the church, as a Comforter; that they only who are members of the church can receive the influence of the Spirit in any manner; and that they who receive it do so, not as an evidence of that membership, but because of that membership. The world is reproved, they say, only by the word which the Spirit has indited; and the threatenings of the word are the only method of reproof, the Spirit itself not being present at all.

But this does not accord with the words of the Saviour that the Spirit comes into the world to reprove the world. It plainly appears that the Spirit of God was striving with man in the days of Noah. Gen. 6:3. Stephen accused the Jews of resisting it. Acts 7:51. And if it is allowable to assume that the Spirit strives with and reproves men only by means of the threatenings and reproofs of the word, we may with equal propriety assume that it comforts the saints only by the promises of the word. And then we have the Spirit banished entirely, as far as actual presence is concerned, and the promise of the Saviour is destroyed. We claim, and we think with good reason, that to deny its presence in comforting the saints is doing no greater violence to the Scriptures than to deny its presence in reproving sinners. And if there is no real presence of the Spirit in these works we may in vain ask the Father to give us the Spirit, notwithstanding the Saviour’s instructions in Luke 11:9–13. Nor can it then be true, as promised in our text, John 14:16, 17, that the Spirit will abide with us forever, nor even visit us at all.

NEW AND OLD.

By Bonar

That which hath been is now; The now repeats the long ago. 'Twas the old sun of paradise, Unchanged, we saw this morning rise, In all its ancient glow.

And that which is to be, On earth it hath already been; The future will repeat the past, And as the first shall be the last— Ages of sin between.

The loathsome, fatal sin Of man, it hath been long ago; Sin's penalty of death and pain Has held earth in its iron chain For ages dark of woe.

The wondrous love of God To man, it hath been long ago; It is, and it shall be, revealed, Though long in mystery concealed; Earth with that love shall glow.

The paradise of God Hath been, and yet again shall be In beauty on this famished earth, When at creation's second birth, Death and the curse shall flee.

Once the first Adam reigned Ere earth had known the deadly stain; Soon the last Adam shall appear, And with his church in glory here Begin the holy reign. —Bonar.

Loneliness of the Ocean

One who has never traveled upon the ocean expects to find it somewhat thickly populated. He thinks of the vast travel and traffic that go over the waters, and he is ready to imagine that the great deep is alive with its hurrying to and fro of the nations. He reads of lands “whose commerce whitens every sea,” and he is ready to think that the ocean itself is as full of sails as the harbor of some mighty metropolis. But he finds his mistake. As he leaves the land the ships begin to disappear. As he goes on his way they soon all vanish, and there is nothing about him but the blue sea and blended sky; sometimes he may meet or overtake a solitary ship during the day; but then, again, there will be many days when not a single sail will cross the horizon. There are spaces measured by thousands of miles, over which no ship has ever passed. The

idea of a “nation’s commerce whitening every sea” is the wildest fancy. If all the ships that have ever been built were brought together in a single fleet they would fill but a hand’s breadth of the ocean. The space, therefore, that man and his works occupy on the sea is as small in extent as the hold on it by his power is slight and superficial. Both together are as nothing. The ocean covers three-fourths of the surface of the globe, and by far the greater part of this vast expanse is and ever has been entirely free from his presence and visitation.—Sel.

Knowledge Is Peace.

By Dr. Guthrie

THERE are two ways by which we may acquaint ourselves with God. The Lord is known by the judgments that he executes; so I remark:—

1. We are to acquaint ourselves with God through his works. Isaac meditated in the fields at eventide; no doubt retiring from the contemplation of the flowers beneath his feet and the stars above his head with a heart better attuned to the evening exercises of praise and prayer. The psalmist also adored God in his works; saying, “Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker”—not our Saviour only, but our Maker also. And he who brings a devout spirit to contemplate the green earth and glorious sky, the flowers that gem the one and the stars that gem the other, the land, and the sea that foams upon its shores, does not feed his soul with ashes. The Bible will not be less, but rather more, prized for our occasionally turning from it to open another and equally divine volume, to read some pages of the book of nature. Both are good books; and he only looks on this great world aright, who, valuing it for something more valuable than the gold men draw from its rocky bowels, the flocks it pastures, the rich freights borne on its waves, and the harvests that wave on its fields, beholds there, as in a glorious mirror, the wisdom and power of God—the goodness that shines in every sunbeam and falls in every shower.

In this aspect, our world is one vast, majestic temple, of which, with the earth for its floor and the lofty firmament for its dome, it may be said with more truth than of Solomon’s, “The glory of the Lord filleth all the house.” There, to a devout and intelligent eye, every object in nature seems a worshipper; to a devout ear praise sounds in every murmuring stream, the peal of thunder and the boom of the ocean; prayers ascend in the raven’s cry and the roar of young lions for food; thanksgivings are offered in the music with which bush and brake welcome the rising day; faith sings in every little bird that without money in bank or corn in barns pours forth its happy song; while the flowers seem ten thousand thousand golden and silver censers, from which nature offers the incense of praise to God.

Bits of glass sparkle when the sun shines on them; and let a devout mind be turned on the humblest of God’s works, and its feelings will find expression in words the greatest and wisest philosophers have been the readiest to employ.

“O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all.”

“We miss a great deal, I am persuaded, by not seeing God in his works so much as we might and ought to do; and I feel certain that if, like the Old-Testament saints, we associated him more with these, the scenes that minister to our pleasure would prove important aids to our piety. Thus holidays spent in visiting scenes, simple or sublime, would contribute to our holiness, and the grandeur of nature would help the growth of grace. How sublime were the views these Old-Testament saints had of God, and how sublimely expressed! They saw him in every aspect of nature—whether it was by day or night; in the sunshine of summer and the snows of winter; in the volcano belching out streams of fire, and in the earth itself, reeling to and fro like a drunken man; and so, in language that glows alike with poetry and piety, they said, He covereth himself with light as with a garment; he looketh on the earth, and it trembleth; he toucheth the mountains, and they smoke; he scattereth the hoar frost like ashes; the clouds are his chariot; he rideth on the wings of the wind; the God of glory thundereth.

At the close of the sixth day, it is said, God saw everything that he had made; and, behold, it was very good; and the study of his works I can the more recommend that they supplied the sermon which was blessed to convict Job of ignorance; to humble his pride; to silence his murmurs; to restore him to patience, and reconcile the good man’s will to God. Drawn, not from God’s word, but his works, this is at least a part of it. Addressing Job, God says: Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who shut up the sea with doors? Out of whose womb came the ice; the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Hast thou given the horse his strength, hast thou clothed his neck with thunder? Doth the hawk fly by thy wisdom; doth the eagle mount up at thy command? Shall he that contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? He that reproveth God, let him answer it.

There is little gospel there, some may think; nor is it such a sermon as many would preach, or approve of were man the preacher. Yet, with nature for his text, that was God’s sermon; and accompanied by the Spirit—without which, whatever be their text or sermon, preachers beat the air, and though addressing eager crowds, are as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—what was the result? Let the result teach us to hold communion with God everywhere, through the medium of his works as well as of his word. “Then,” it is said, at the close of this sermon, “Job answered the Lord, and said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee?” “Hear, I beseech thee, and I will speak; . . . I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes.”

2. We are to acquaint ourselves with God as revealed to us in his word; in the face of his Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ.

He has a temple in nature, but with all its glory and magnificence that temple has no mercy-seat; no laver for foul hands to wash in; no altar where the blood of the innocent flows for the crimes of the guilty. There, from the shrines of science and philosophy, a trembling, alarmed sinner, I get no answer to my question, What shall I do to be saved? nor Job any solution of his difficulty. Oh! for a daysman—in other words, a mediator—betwixt us to lay his hand upon us both! Lying under condemnation, undone through sin, unable either to justify or to save ourselves, hanging helplessly by life’s brittle thread over an awful gulf, no knowledge of God as he appears in the works of nature can bring us peace. What we need is a gracious as well as a glorious God; not so much goodness as mercy; love, fatherly, divine love, not to obedient but to disobedient children; the love of the Highland mother who never shut her door by night for long years in hope that a daughter who had gone astray would come back, and, coming back, might find it open; the love of him who recognized the prodigal afar off, and forgiving and forgetting all, kind, fond father, fell on his neck and folded him to his happy bosom.

It is only such a knowledge of God that can bring peace to sinners; and we have it in Jesus Christ, the gift of divine love to the chief of sinners. Having taken our sins upon himself, and died, the just for the unjust, that we might be saved, Jesus is our peace. Out of him there is no peace—none to the impenitent and unbelieving, none to such as repel his Spirit and despise his mercy; nothing to them but a fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation. On the other hand, let their sins be more in multitude than the hairs of their head, than the stars of heaven, the drops of ocean, or the dust of earth, there is no condemnation to them who believe in Jesus Christ, and walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

That blessed saying of our Lord: “He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father,” what peace does it speak to the troubled conscience! What a flag of invitation it waves to every sinner to lay down his arms, and, casting away the weapons of his rebellion, to cast himself on the mercy of God! In Jesus Christ, in that God-man, so full of tenderness, so gentle, kind, loving and long-suffering; here not spurning away but encouraging a weeping Magdalene; here shedding tears for the city that was about to shed his blood; here forgetting his own sorrows in pity for a mother’s, putting forth his dying strength to save a thief, and spending life’s latest breath in prayer for bloody murderers; in him who hastened on wings of love to pluck this world from ruin—who never wished ill to any, but good to all—who returned blessing for cursing, prayers for persecution, kisses for blows, imploring even his bitterest enemies to look on him and live, to believe and be saved; and who this day from his throne in Heaven bends looks of pity on the guiltiest of mankind—in him God unveils himself to us. Here a sight is revealed on which angels gaze in wonder, and which might speak peace to every troubled conscience, and breed hope in the very bosom of despair.

3. The time for acquainting ourselves with God is this, and not another, time. Acquaint now thyself with God, and be at peace.

Now, for this most plain and pressing reason that it is in this life only we can do so, and that the opportunities life offers are fast passing away. “Our fathers, where are they? The prophets, do they live forever?” And a few more years—in respect to some, not years, but hours, or days, or weeks at most—and where will my readers be? Mingled with the clouds of the valley; gone for weal or woe. Tell me not that you intend soon, fully intend, to turn over, as they say, a new leaf, and, accepting the Saviour, make your peace with God. If that is your intention, there is no time like the present. Talk not of old age and death-beds! This is a refuge of lies. I am weary of remonstrating, pleading against delays, where delay is in the highest degree dangerous; being the more convinced, the more death-beds I witness, that if you wish to lose your soul, there is no surer way of doing it. How often have I wished, when one on the brink of the grave has cried, “Pray, oh! pray, such is my agony that I cannot pray;” and when I have seen the sun of another set amid lurid clouds, or the raving tempests of delirium; and when I have seen one on the verge of another world oppressed with a stupor no danger nor the voice of affection can arouse—how have I wished men were there to see that a death-bed is a place to enjoy salvation, but not one to seek it!

In such cases, it is well with those who are safe in Jesus, who have their life “hid with Christ in God;” but for a godless, graceless sinner so to die, though pronouncing no judgment on him—leaving that to the Judge of the quick and dead—this I will say, I would not run his risk, nor have my soul bound up in the same bundle with his—no, not for ten thousand worlds. Let every one of my readers be persuaded to acquaint himself with God now, and be at peace. Happy are those who have already done so; who know in whom they have believed; who have made their calling and election sure.—Dr. Guthrie.

Christ’s Second Temptation.

By Thirza M. Foster

“THEN the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down; for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” Matt. 4:5–7.

The temptations which our Saviour endured form an interesting particular in his life. They are written for our admonition and instruction. From them we learn the temptations to which we are exposed, and in the resistance he made, we learn how we may so resist the devil that he will flee from us. Although the first attempt Satan made to overcome the Son of God was defeated, he did not quit the field, nor give up all hope of final success. No; he had other wiles to try, and the repulse he had received suggested to his mind a second mode of attack.

He had seen that Jesus depended more upon the words that came from the mouth of God than he did upon bread, the staff of life; and so he tempted him under the semblance of exercising strong confidence in God to do a presumptuous act. He took him to Jerusalem, placed him in a conspicuous place, even on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down.” This was a proposal to Jesus to destroy his own life, and Satan, to give force to his purpose, refers him directly to the written word for a promise of divine protection. He says, “For it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee; and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” This text is recorded in Psalms 91:11, and is a specific promise of God’s protecting care, written evidently for his commandment-keeping people; and is to be fulfilled after probation closes and when the seven last plagues are falling upon the ungodly. Satan not only made a wrong application of this scripture, but, to make it answer his purpose better, he left out the short clause, “in all thy ways,” which, had he retained it, would have been unfavorable to his object; for he knew that what he proposed to the Son of God was not in any sense one of his ways.

The tempter did not pretend to seek the death of Christ. The garb he assumed was that of a friend to both the Father and the Son. He would have Jesus exhibit proof of his divine Sonship by casting himself down from the pinnacle of the temple under the assurance that his Father, to protect him from all harm, would engage the ministry of the holy angels. Had Jesus yielded to this device of the enemy, he would have treated God’s providence with lightness and irreverence, and by not taking prudent care of his own life, he would have violated the commandment which says to every man, “Thou shalt not kill,” and forbids the destruction of one’s own life, as much as that of one’s neighbor. Satan’s temptation succeeds on this point with those who by imprudent or intemperate habits injure their health, and as a result go prematurely to the grave. Such deaths are not dispensations of Providence, as they are often said to be.

It would have been gratifying to Satan’s malicious spirit could he have prevailed upon the Son of God to throw himself headlong to the ground, for the sake of showing how he trusted in God to save him. To such trust as this our Saviour gave quite a different name. He called it tempting God. Our Heavenly Father may take his own way to try us, and may put our faith to the severest test; but we have no right to try him only in the ways which he has himself appointed for us. In the light of this subject a dangerous snare is revealed, in which many at the present day are taken. They talk of their faith, and willingness to trust themselves in the hands of God, and do not the things which he has commanded. They trample his law under their feet, thereby setting his authority at defiance. They do not seem to realize on whose ground they are standing, but express confidence in God, as though they were pleasing instead of offending him. Satan, as an angel of light, brings to them God’s promises, withholding the conditions upon which they are made. Oh, that God would help souls to recover themselves speedily out of this snare, and learn that his promises insure salvation to those only who secure his favor by yielding obedience to all of his commandments.

We do well to inquire of our hearts whether this temptation does not exert some influence over us. Do we not sometimes make the grace of God an excuse for remissness in the discharge of our duty? Are we always willing to accept the straight testimony from the Lord? or do we, like the children of Israel, murmur as we journey along, and feel that God does not require so much of us? Let us not be deceived. The more true faith we have, the more watchful, prayerful, and conscientious our lives will be; and when we are in the path of duty we can claim the precious promises of God, knowing that they are brought home to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. “Let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God;” for we want a place at last with those of whom it is said, “They overcome him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”

THIRZA M. FOSTER.

Vienna, Wis.

Loosing the Shoes.

THE loosening of the shoes, and the putting them off the feet, is an Oriental custom, and one of constant observance. A recent traveler gives the following marked instance of this custom:—

“Before entering the dwelling of a European, or superior in any respect, the shoes are put off and left outside the door. In the same way before mosques, tombs, or other places considered sacred, this act is most scrupulously performed. An opportunity was afforded us of watching this proceeding, which was carried on for several hours without much intermission. We were encamped on a rising ground just in front of a rajah’s tomb. It was probably the anniversary of his death, and we were much amused in watching the honors paid to his memory. In the early morning crowds of visitors arrived from all the neighboring villages, each one provided with some offering of respect, which was carried inside the building and there deposited. The tomb being elevated on about twenty stone steps, we were enabled the better to observe the ceremonies performed. One of the first arrivals was that of a man seemingly of high degree. He was richly clothed, much decked with ornaments of gold and precious stones, and was most probably some near relative of the deceased. He rode up on horseback, his horse’s neck being adorned with garlands of strongly scented white and everlasting flowers. His first act on dismounting was the loosening of his shoes, which were left at the bottom of the steps. Then, barefoot, this great personage ascended the steps, bowing, and touching first the step and then his forehead, all the way up. He then entered the tomb with limes in his hand (a fruit always offered as a mark of respect) and garlands of flowers. Servants followed, bearing on their heads baskets of fruits, which were also with much reverence carried within. The horse all this time, as if perfectly accustomed to such scenes, quietly awaited his master’s return. It would be difficult to say how many pairs of shoes there were at one time around the steps. All these proceedings were marked with the keenest eyes by some dozens of ravenous crows, from the nearest trees; who were ready, the moment an opportunity offered, to fly into the tomb, and, without ceremony, most sacrilegiously despoil it.”

—Sel.

Continue reading: Review of Rev. B. T. Roberts