Your ShelfYour Projects

Review and Herald, Vol. 7, No. 19.

WILLIAM MILLER

Review and Herald

Feb 7, 1856

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Feb 7, 1856

WILLIAM MILLER.

COLLOQUIAL STYLE IN WRITING.

In writing, he sometimes indulged in a colloquial style. In the following he hints at an objection often urged against him, that he, being a farmer, should not presume to teach. He says:
"As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until Noah entered into the ark. Methinks I can almost see the scenes of that day. See you not that elegant building yonder, near that ark of gopherwood? That building was reared at a great expense, by the host, for the purpose of entertaining strangers who might come to visit that ark, and to ridicule and laugh at that old, white-headed man you see yonder pitching the ark. The host, you see, has become rich by the great gain he has made, from the furnishing of the workmen, citizens and strangers, with food and drink of the most costly kind. Look into the dining-hall of that establishment. See the table loaded with all the delicate viands of the season. See those bottles filled with the sparkling juice of the grape. See the host at his door, beckoning to each passer-by to enter and regale himself. Hear the conversation between the host and the stranger guest who has just entered his mansion:
"Guest. What great building is that in yonder field, on that eminence? "Host. That is called 'Noah's Ark.' "Guest. But what use is he going to put it to? It seems to be built for sailing. Surely the old man does not expect to sail on dry land." "Host. Yes; you are right. The old man says the world is coming to an end, [Gen. vi, 13,] and he has prepared an ark to save himself and family; for all flesh will be destroyed by water, as he says." "Guest. But how does he know this?" "Host. He says God told him." "Guest. What kind of a man is he? He must be a great fanatic, I am thinking." "Host. Why, yes, we think he is crazy a little; but you cannot discover it in any thing else but his building that great ark, and neglecting his farm and other worldly matters. But what he has lost I have gained." "Guest. A farmer, say you?—a farmer! Why did not God tell some of our 'mighty men, which are men of renown?' Gen. vi, 4. A farmer, too! There is no truth in it. But do any believe him?" "Host. Believe him! No. We have other things to attend to, and cannot spend time to hear the old farmer. But we were all very much startled, no longer ago than yesterday; for the old man has been telling some that he had prepared rooms for the beasts of the field, and for the fowls of the air, and every creeping thing; and yesterday they came, two and two of every sort, and entered the ark, apparently of their own accord. Gen. vii, 8, 9. This, you may be sure, startled us some; but the banquets and feasts of last night have dissipated the fears of all, and to-day things are as they should be." "Guest. It is rather strange; yet it cannot be true. God will not destroy the world in the midst of this hilarity and glee, and in the height of all the improvements at the present day. Much, much of the earth remains yet to be cultivated and inhabited. Our western wilderness is yet to be explored and settled. Then the world is yet in its infancy—not two thousand years old yet; and you know we have a tradition that the earth is to wax old like a garment. It cannot be true, what the old man tells you. I will warrant you the earth will stand many thousand years yet." "Host. Look! look! there goes the old fool and his family now, I dare say, into the ark. I remember me now, the old man told us, four days ago, that in seven days [Gen. vii, 4—10,] God would cause it to rain sufficient to destroy every living thing from the face of the earth. I shall have a chance to laugh at the old man four days hence. I told him to his face that, after his seven days were ended, he would be ashamed to preach any more, and we should have some quiet then." "Guest. But do your priests let him preach in their congregations and societies?" "Host. O no! by no means; that is, none that are called respectable, or of the higher class. Why, sir, they held a meeting last night at my banqueting house. After the cloth was removed, and while the wine was circulating freely, old Noah was the subject of the toast. And it would have done you good to have heard their sharp cuts and squibs; it caused a roar of laughter among the guests. See, yonder come some of them now. Let us go in and enjoy another treat. (They go in.)"
"Ah, said I, were these scenes acted before the flood, and will it be so in the end of the world? And will the generation of the righteous not pass off until they behold these things acted over again? So says our blessed Saviour, and so I believe." "Then shall 'heaven and earth pass away.' The righteous will pass off to meet their Lord, and the wicked be consumed to cleanse the world. Then will the prophecy in this chapter be fulfilled, and the word of God will not pass away.'" "Prepare, ye servants of the Most High, to render up your stewardship. Ye scoffers, take warning; cease your revilings, your newspaper squibs, your bombast, your revelings, and your banqueting. And you, my dear reader, prepare! prepare! for lo!— 'He comes, he comes, the Judge severe; The seventh trumpet speaks him near.'"
[Life of Wm. Miller.

Objections Considered

By J. H. W.

WHEN WILL THE NATIONS BE DASHED IN PIECES?

(Continued.)

OBJECTIONS CONSIDERED.

As long as men have "carnal minds" that are "not subject to the law of God," so long will doubts arise in regard to the revelation which he has made. And as long as prejudice is allowed to sway the mind, objections will arise in regard to the plainest doctrines of the Word, even with those who regard the Scriptures as truth, and profess to abide by its decisions. Thus on the doctrine of immortality alone through Christ, the truth is plainly taught—the general principles which ought to govern the investigation of that subject are easily defined; yet many refuse to bow to these principles, and cling to their construction of a single passage or sentence as if their conclusions and inferences were of more value than well-established truths.
The Universalists act on this principle, as well as many other existing sects, whose theories are built up on partial and one-sided views of scripture. I have heard professors of religion denominate certain passages of scripture, "Universalist texts," "Calvanistic texts," "Armenian texts," &c., as if Christ was divided, or God was the author of confusion; as if, foreseeing these several factions in the professed Christian world, he had made provision in his word for the accommodation of their tastes and prejudices. That view is true which harmonizes apparently conflicting declarations. This must be admitted by all. I will illustrate this in noticing the first objection.
Rev. xxii, 2. "The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations." This text is offered in proof that mortal nations will live on the earth on probation, after Christ comes. I consider that one of two things is indispensable to sustain such a view; namely, either to show that the events of which I have spoken do not occur at the coming of Christ, or that I have misconstrued the testimony of the many scriptures I have quoted. But I think all must admit that I have shown their proper connection, and used them according to the plain, obvious import of their language. Hence the objector's view of Rev. xxii, 2, must be incorrect. I will now show that it is in perfect harmony with the view that I have presented.
The objection assumes that the blessing of the above passage, and of the 14th verse, is not for the saints of this age, but for those who may become such in the age to come; for the saints will then have become immortal, and cannot need the tree of life; and they will not then be subject to sickness or disease, and therefore will not need healing.
If we were to be guided by the "enticing words of man's wisdom," we would acknowledge such reasoning, but the scriptures are our guide, and I think an examination of them will convince us of the error of assuming a positive position on the strength of mere human reason, on a subject which we cannot fully comprehend.The "seven churches" of Rev. ii, and iii were either seven literal churches in Asia, or they are seven different states of the church in as many different periods of time. The latter view is doubtless correct, but in either case they are before the coming of Christ, as in each of the four last letters that occur it is spoken of as being yet future. Of course the members of "the church at Ephesus"—the first of the seven—must come up in the resurrection to receive their reward. The promise to that church is, "To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." Rev. ii, 7. Here is a point that no sophistry can evade. If the blessing is for them, it may be for all the resurrected saints, and the changed also, even though the wisdom of the world be not able to comprehend all the depths of the counsels of God. To me the promise is precious; and I look forward with joy to the time when all those who keep the commandments may have right to the tree of life, and enter through the gates into the city.
Having now obtained a scripture application of this blessed promise, we are prepared to further examine the text. And the objection is further seen to be invalid in that the whole scene is laid on the new earth, (not in the "Age to Come,") where there is neither death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain; [chap. xxi, 4;] and in chap. xxii, where it says the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations, the very next sentence reads, "And there shall be no more curse." Verse 3. "Come now, and let us reason together." Can sickness or disease exist where there is no more curse? And if, as is claimed, "the nations" will then be on probation, there must be, not only sickness, but also death; for we cannot suppose immortal men will be on probation; and if they were not subject to death, they would not, on the ground of the objection, need the tree of life, but in that respect be equal to the saints. To sustain this objection, the text must be wrested from its obvious connection, or death be introduced in the new earth. But keeping in view the promise to the church of Ephesus, and looking at chap. xxi, 24, how plain it is that these nations are "the nations of THEM WHICH ARE SAVED," and not them which are to be saved, or which may perhaps be saved. These are the nations whose kings bring their glory and honor into the city, the New Jerusalem which is the city here described.
Isa. ix, 7. There is to be an increase of Messiah's government, and peace, which supposes of necessity that it will spread and man yield obedience to it, which it would be inconsistent to suppose of the eternal state.
This objection has been urged by several writers; but it is their view of the text that is inconsistent with their view of the eternal state. How do they know there is to be an "eternal state" of Messiah's reign, except by the expressions which declare it? and how do they know the order of that state, except by the terms that define it? Now the objection involves a conclusion at variance with the terms of the very text on which it is based. The passage reads, "Of the increase of his government and peace THERE SHALL BE NO END, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and TO ESTABLISH IT WITH JUDGMENT AND WITH JUSTICE, from henceforth, even FOREVER." If these terms do not point it out as an eternal state, I should be happy to be informed what language would be appropriate to the purpose; but I shall make further remarks on these terms in considering other objections.
2 Thess. i, 7-10. This text does not say that the Lord, when he comes, will take vengeance on all them that know not God, and all that obey not the gospel; it speaks only in general terms, of course allowing of exceptions.
Those who use this text to prove the destruction of the wicked would smile at an objection based upon it, against that view, having so much the appearance of caviling; and had not the objection been raised by those standing high in the esteem of many of their fellow men, it might be passed in silence.
Though I would not think to prove any great doctrine by a single disconnected text, I think this is in harmony with what I have endeavored to show, namely, that all who are not "Christ's at his coming" are destroyed from off the earth. Let us see what it teaches. "It is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven, with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." We notice here the time when the Lord Jesus is revealed; the time when the saints will have rest; and they that trouble them will receive their recompense of tribulation, or vengeance. These are divided into two classes, (1.) them that know not God, and (2.) them that obey not the gospel. Now we have the classes disposed of at a definite time; but let us look at other statements relative to the same time to get the particulars or individuals. "Behold I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." Rev. xxii, 12. "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and knew not, until the flood came and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. xxiv, 37, 39. "Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom, it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all: even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed." Luke xvii, 28-30. Thus not only the classes are destroyed in that day, but EVERY MAN—ALL OF THEM; and this testimony removes more than this objection; it removes the objector's whole ground of argument, so that all other objections are really cut off by it.
Rev. v, 9, 10. The saints reign as kings on the earth; but they do not reign over one another, hence there must be mortal men or nations over whom they reign.
This is an inference altogether unwarranted, and at variance with the scriptures. We have seen by Rev. xxi, that on the new earth there are kings over the nations of them which are saved, who bring their glory and honor into the heavenly city—the New Jerusalem. In chap. xxii, in finishing up the description of the city wherein is the tree of life, and the river of water of life, and the throne of God and of the Lamb, where the Lord God gives his people light, the angel said, "And they shall reign for ever and ever." Verse 5. Is not the conclusion equally legitimate that mortal men or nations will exist on the new earth for ever and ever? In these and many other objections (and arguments for the Age to Come) the Scriptures are wrested from their connection and made to bow to a system of human reasoning as dangerous as it is erroneous. O that men would "cease to pervert the right ways of God," and let their feeble reason bow to the revelation of his all-wise counsels.
Other points in the text in question I reserve to be noticed in the future.
Heb. viii, 8-12. The New Covenant, embracing forgiveness of sins, is to be made with the house of Israel and Judah. This has not yet been done; for the scripture from which the text is quoted [Jer. xxxi] says, "they shall not cease from being a nation before me forever," but they are yet rejected and scattered. Hence it must be in the Age to Come. (See Age to Come, by J. Marsh, pp. 107-109.)
Of all the perversions of scripture consequent upon a belief of that theory, this appears the most glaring and the most fatal. If the new covenant, with Christ the High Priest as its Mediator, his blood that ratified it and rendered forgiveness possible, its blessings to those who avail themselves of its intercessions; if these be removed from our reach and all transferred to the Age to Come, then truly may the gospel believer say, as did weeping Mary, "They have taken away my Lord." In the work above quoted, eight reasons are given why it must be made in the Age to Come, and exclusively with the natural descendants of Jacob. Before going into an examination of these points I would call attention to a few facts set forth in the Scriptures:
  1. There are but two covenants contrasted—the old and the new.
  2. The first was taken away and the new established by Christ. Heb. x, 1-22.
  3. There are two (and only two) orders of priesthood—the Aaronic and Melchisedec.
  4. There are two sanctuaries for the priests to officiate in—one on earth made by man, [Ex. xxv, 1-9,] the other in heaven, built by the Lord. Heb. viii, 1, 2.
  5. They cannot change places of ministration, for under the first, or on earth, the Mediator of the new could not minister, [Heb. vii, 13-17; viii, 1-4,] and under the second, or new, there is but "one mediator," [1 Tim. ii, 5,] which excludes all those of the first order.
  6. No sin was taken away by the first, but forgiveness is granted under the second: therefore
  7. The old typified the new, [Heb. vii, 1-5,] and the minister of the new mediates for the transgressions under the old. Chap. ix, 15.
  8. Under the old, offerings were made daily, [Heb. ix, 6, 7; x, 1-4,] but under the new only one offering was made, and that but once. Chap. x, 10, 12.
  9. Under the old, the priests entered the sanctuary on earth with blood of others; [Heb. ix, 25;] but under the new, Christ enters the heavenly by his own blood. Verses 11, 12.
  10. Under the old, one priest succeeded another, but the Mediator of the new has no successor. Heb. vii, 23, 24.
I hope all will bear in mind these plain scripture facts, not only for their bearing on this objection, but on others that may be noticed.
That this covenant was to be made with Israel and Judah, I acknowledge, for it is so written; that it is to be made in the Age to Come, I deny, and that it belongs only to Israel and Judah, I deny, and shall now test those assertions by the Word.
The angel told the prophet Daniel, "Seventy weeks are cut off [from the 2300 days] upon thy people." This must be understood of Israel and Judah, who were to fall from their pre-eminence above the nations at the end of that time; of the Messiah the angel said, "He shall confirm the (a—margin) covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease." Dan. ix, 24, 27. The last week of the seventy determined or cut off upon that people commenced at the commencement of Christ's preaching, was half expired at his crucifixion, and terminated at the time the apostles turned to the Gentiles. This whole week belonged to them.
In fulfillment of this prophecy, at the end of 69 weeks Messiah commenced preaching the gospel of the kingdom by saying, "I am not sent but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Matt. xv, 24. He sent forth the twelve to preach the same gospel of the kingdom, to whom he said, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." Chap. x, 6-8. After his resurrection he commissioned his disciples to preach the gospel, "beginning at Jerusalem." Luke xxiv, 47. This they did, tarrying at Jerusalem till they had received the Holy Spirit of promise, and they went forth preaching to their brethren in all parts. Afterwards, when the Jews contradicted and blasphemed, Paul and Barnabas said to them, "It was NECESSARY that the word of God should first have been spoken to you." Acts xiii, 46.
We cannot believe that salvation was more necessary for the Jew than the Gentile, or that either Jew or Gentile could be saved without the gospel of the kingdom; hence this necessity was because the prophecy and promise of God must be fulfilled. Peter said to them at Jerusalem, in the temple, "Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, 'And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.'" Acts iii, 25, 26. Paul said of them, "Who are Israelites; to whom pertained the adoption; and the glory and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises." Rom.ix, 4. Also the text which is quoted from Jer. xxxi, is an extract from a letter which Paul wrote to his Hebrew brethren, in which he says, "We have such an High Priest," speaking of the covenant as being then established with them, in contrast with the first covenant which had ceased; and not only for them, but also for their brethren who had transgressed under the first covenant, was he ministering under the new. Heb. ix, 15.
If all this does not show that the new covenant was made with Israel I do not know what could be said or done to show it. Can any Israelite rise up in the face of these facts and say that God has not fulfilled his promise? And can any one have any intelligent idea of Paul's epistle to the Hebrews, chapters vii-x inclusive, who supposes that this covenant has not been made?
It is next asserted that it cannot refer to the Gentiles, but to Israel and Judah only.
That Israel and Judah are distinct from the Gentiles, I also admit; otherwise we could conceive of no possible necessity of confirming the covenant with one before another; but that it belongs exclusively to one, or now more to one than another, I deny. (Age to Come, p. 107, paragraph marked 6.) The scriptures from which I have quoted to show that it was made with Judah and Israel, also show that it was to extend to others as well as them. Thus when Christ commissioned his apostles he said that "repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name AMONG ALL NATIONS beginning at Jerusalem." Luke xxiv, 47. If this covenant had not been made with them, and the gospel first preached to them, the Scriptures could not have been fulfilled; neither could they have been fulfilled if it had been confined to them. See again Acts xiii, 46, 47. "It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you, but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles, for so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, 'I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'" See Isa. xlii, 6.
But it may be asked, Can these promises of the new covenant be said to be fulfilled by the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom to them seven years, and then taking it from them and preaching it to the Gentiles eighteen hundred years?
To this I reply, the gospel was not taken from them, but they put it from themselves. See again Acts xiii, 46. And from that day to this it has been preached to them—to all of them that would hear it, as well as to the Gentiles; when Paul says, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved," we argue truly that "whosoever" includes Gentiles, but will "whosoever" exclude Israelites?
But it is said this is the Gentile dispensation, and the new covenant supposes a time when the Israelites will be restored to their former state of national pre-eminence.
This is erroneous in two respects: the terms of the covenant imply no such thing, nor do the Scriptures which speak on this subject. Paul in his epistle to the Romans, recognizes the salvation of those only who embrace Christ by faith; of course it is a personal or individual salvation—the same that is offered to the Gentiles or "unnatural branches;" for in respect to the promises of God "there is no difference." Nor can this with any propriety be called the "Gentile dispensation," for the Gentiles were never made exclusive or even pre-eminent heirs of the promises of God under this or any other dispensation.
The Jews had a pre-eminence even in this dispensation, so that the promises of the new covenant or gospel were termed theirs, but the middle wall of partition was broken down—the difference abolished, and it was henceforth ordained "that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs and of the same body." Eph. iii, 6. What this body was may be learned from the preceding chapter, where the Gentiles are said to have been in the time past "aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise." "But now," says the Apostle, "in Christ Jesus, ye who sometimes WERE FAR OFF, ARE MADE NIGH by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace who hath made BOTH ONE, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition. . . . for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace, and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross. . . . Now therefore ye [Gentiles] ARE NO MORE STRANGERS AND FOREIGNERS, [from the commonwealth of Israel], but FELLOW-CITIZENS with the saints and of the household of God." Eph. ii, 12-19.
Jesus himself testified the same thing when he said to the Jews, "And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be ONE FOLD AND ONE SHEPHERD." John x, 16. Here is a unity of the flock which should not be lost sight of; even as the Saviour prayed for them that should believe on him, "that they all may be one." John xvii, 21.
Again, these promises have not failed, as the apostle Paul shows in Rom. ix. He speaks of his "kinsmen according to the flesh," [verse 3,] and declares that the covenants and promises pertain to them, [verse 4,] and then seems to anticipate the very objection stated; for he says, "Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect," [verse 6,] although the "effect" may be denied by unbelievers, because all of Paul's "kinsmen according to the flesh" are not converted; but the reason he assigns is, "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel;" that is to say, the covenant has been made with Judah and Israel according to the promise, and its rejection by the unbelieving children of Abraham does not make void the word or promise; for such are not recognized as Israel; (though they are "of Israel,") and consequently have no part in the promise. From these facts it is very clear that "God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him."
But we may go further. This equality not only exists—the effect is not only produced, but we have the agency and the means by which it is produced. Paul declares that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel. Eph. iii, 6. Thus the gospel of Christ produces a union of Jew and Gentile, and it is effected by his "having abolished in his flesh the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace." Chap. ii, 15.
As long as the law of commandments contained in ordinances existed, so long was a distinction recognized between Jew and Gentile; the middle wall was broken down, and both are made one: "For there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: [in the purposes or promises of God:] for ye are all one in Christ Jesus." Gal. iii, 28. Paul's rebuke to Peter has a bearing on this point. Peter was virtually acknowledging the distinction as yet existing, by conforming to that which had marked such a distinction; but Paul says: "If I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor." Chap. ii, 18. Let all beware how they undertake to build a middle wall which the gospel of Christ has abolished, or endeavor to divide the fold when the Lord Jesus has said there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.
The old covenant with its ordinances (a sign of enmity and difference) has passed away, and now as there is one God, even so is there one Mediator, and one covenant under which he ministers, and one offering by which we are sanctified, and one flock which he has purchased, and one fold which he has prepared, that we may all be gathered in one body, by one spirit, even as we are called in one hope of our calling. Wherefore let us all strive for the unity of the faith, and keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Amen. (To be Continued.) J. H. W.

THE HEART'S BITTERNESS.

"The heart knoweth his own bitterness, and a stranger doth not intermeddle with his joy."—PROVERBS XIV, 10.
Sighs and tears are mortals' doom— Sorrow is man's common lot— From the cradle to the tomb, There are none who suffer not. Every bosom knows its own Deep, internal weight or care, And the worn heart struggles on, 'Mid the woes that rankle there.
Were each inner shrine displayed, With its sad realities— Were all secrets open laid, To the sight of others' eyes: All would see that none are blest— All would feel how vain and weak, Are the highest and the best Treasures all so fondly seek.
Happily this world is not Our abiding, resting-place; God has promised—blessed thought! We shall see him face to face, In another, brighter sphere, Where no anguished hearts are riven, And the ills we grieve for here, Shall be changed to bliss in heaven!—[Echo

Tobacco.

Dr. Rush. "Tobacco even when used with moderation may cause dyspepsia, headache, tremor and vertigo," and "seldom fails of impairing the voice."
Dr. Mussey. "The habitual use of tobacco in either of its forms of quid, snuff or cigar, is apt to induce a sense of weakness, sinking in the stomach, dizziness or pain in the head, dimness or loss of sight, paleness or sallowness of countenance, swelling of the feet, an enfeebled state of the voluntary muscles, a hoarseness of the voice, disturbed sleep, nightmare, epileptic and convulsive fits, confusion and weariness of the mental faculties, peevishness and irritability of temper, instability of purpose, seasons of great depression of the spirits, long fits of unbroken melancholy and despondency, and in some cases entire and permanent mental derangement."
Dr. Harris. It has been remarked by the eminent Dr. Warren and other distinguished surgeons, that a very large majority of those cancers that occur on the lips and about the mouth and face, are seen in persons that are addicted to the excessive use of tobacco."
"Other things being equal, it is much more difficult to manage and control any important disease in a user of tobacco than in a person who is not habituated to such indulgence."
"No tobacco-user ever escapes the penalty of his folly."
"How can a true Christian indulge in such a hurtful luxury?"
"The principles of Christian politeness forbid the use of tobacco as a luxury in any form or mode whatever."
Dr. Stevenson. "It is ruinous to intellect. In all its forms it appears to be deleterious."
Gov. Sullivan. "It has never failed to weaken the power of my mind in analyzing subjects and defining ideas."
Rev. Mr. Fowler. "The loss of intellectual power, from the use of tobacco, in this Christian nation is immense."
Dr. Alcott. "No class of men think more tardily than old tobacco-mongers. Tobacco neither permits the accumulation of ideas, nor the free motion of those which have already obtained a lodgment in the mind."
The use of tobacco "defrauds one's self." "It defrauds one's family." "It blinds the moral sensibility." "It sears the conscience. It makes men the slaves of appetite. It defrauds society. It robs God."
Hon. John Quincy Adams. "I have often wished that every individual of the human race afflicted with this artificial passion, could prevail upon himself to try but for three months the experiment I have made! sure that I would turn every acre of tobacco land into a wheatfield, and add five years of longevity to the average of human life."
Messrs. Editors:—Such is the testimony of the eminent men quoted, in relation to the habit named; and you will confer a favor upon suffering humanity if you will appropriate for the above selections, some corner of your invaluable paper.—Vt. Chron.

TOBACCO AFTER PRAYER.

By Editor

The editor of the Norwich Examiner thinks it is not clerical to use tobacco. He says:
"Traveling from Hartford to Westerfield the other day, upon a stage coach, we fell in company with a clergyman in high standing in his own ecclesiastical connection, who was returning to his country residence from conducting morning prayers in this city. Passing a field of tobacco, we alluded to some of the evils resulting from its use, when, to our surprise the dignitary beside us commenced one of the most subtle, earnest arguments in its favor that we have ever listened to. We will not repeat his remarks, only that he concluded by saying that cigars were his daily delight, and that after the fatigue of preaching praying, &c., they were highly indispensable."

"I AM."

"I AM." He doth not say, I AM their light, their guide, their strengthening tower, but only I AM. He sets as it were his hand to blank, that his people may write under it what they please that is good for them. As if He said, Are they weak? I AM strength. Are they poor? I AM riches. Are they in trouble? I AM comfort. Are they sick? I AM health. Are they dying? I AM life. Have they nothing? I AM all things. I AM wisdom and power; I AM glory, beauty, holiness, eminency, super-eminency, perfection, all-sufficiency, eternity; JEHOVAH, I AM! Whatsoever is amiable in itself, and desirable to them, that I AM. Whatsoever is pure and holy, whatsoever is good and needful to make men happy, that I AM.

THE SANCTUARY.

By C. W. Sperry

"Then shall the Sanctuary be cleansed." The time for the fulfillment of this work is clear. For it is evident that the time to precede this is measured by days. And if the work was not to commence within the next day, (or year,) the angel would have added more days to the 2300. To confirm this we refer to the 62 weeks of Dan. ix, 26. "After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off." Here time was measured by weeks instead of days, clearly showing that another week would not pass, before the event would take place. "In the midst of the next week," &c. So another day (or year) would not pass, before the work specified would commence.
"The Hebrew words rendered 'then shall be cleansed' is (tzah-dak) and occurs in forty other places in the Old Testament. In the margin it is rendered justified, which is the general signification of the word. . . . It thus refers not to a physical cleansing, or purification, but to moral rectitude. That to which it is applied is thenceforth to be held innocent. It is no longer to be held guilty or abominable. Its uprightness is vindicated. Its past guilt is all cancelled. Its sentence is then to be revoked, and its punishment is remitted. That period, therefore, extends not to the termination of the physical restoration of the sanctuary, but to the commencement of that process."—Advent Herald, April 15, 1854.
And while we are pointed back to the typical sanctuary and services in the law, for instructions of the heavenly, yet the type cannot be carried out in every particular. There was an earthly sanctuary, and there is an heavenly; there were two apartments in the earthly, and two in the heavenly; an earthly priest, and also an heavenly one; a sacrifice for the earthly, and also for the heavenly; a time for the earthly sanctuary to be cleansed, and a time for the heavenly to be cleansed; the earthly was cleansed with blood, so is the heavenly.
But "the law was a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image." Heb. x, 1. The sacrifice for the earthly was of beasts, but not of the heavenly. The typical sacrifice was daily, but not so with the heavenly. The earthly sanctuary was cleansed yearly, but not so with the heavenly. The earthly priest had to make an atonement for himself; [Lev. xvi, 11-14.] but not so with the heavenly. An additional sacrifice had to be made on the day of atonement in the type, but not so in the antitype.
Some say that because there was a preparatory work on the day of atonement (which was their offerings) that there must be in the antitype; but where are the offerings, or the work that should answer to the type. Let those who thus think, show in what that work consists. Again we are accused of sin because of bringing our sacrifice to some other place than the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; but man's accusation and our doing this are two things. The sin of Israel was in sacrificing to other gods, and not because their faith carried them into both apartments. Their sacrifice was made at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation; so was ours. That blood availed for them in the Most Holy, so does Christ's for us. Their offering answered for the entire day, so does ours; for they had to afflict their souls or they would be cut off. Lev. xxiii, 29. Their faith in that blood shed at the door had to reach into the second apartment, and so does our faith in that blood shed without the gate reach into the Most Holy place. Probation continued until the work was completed in the sanctuary, so in the antitype. Israel were not justified until their sins were borne from the Sanctuary, which was when the priest came out, and not when he went in, so in the antitype. The mandate cannot go forth, "He that is holy let him be, and he that is filthy so remain," so long as the sins of Israel are in the Sanctuary, which cannot be justified while the sins of the people are in it. Mercy does not cease until God says so; and he does not say so until the work is completed.
If there was no mercy in the time of cleansing the Sanctuary, then when the Priest went in it would have been said, "He that is holy let him be," &c.; but this was not so; for except they continued during the day they were cut off. The filthy are not left filthy until the holy remain holy. And while the holy may be cut off, the filthy may find pardon.
Now if we admit that the 2300 days have ended, we must admit that the work of cleansing the Sanctuary is going on, or he is at war with the angel. Parallel with this is the patience of the saints, the commandments of God, and the opening of the temple in heaven in which was seen the ark of the testament, as seen by John. Rev. xi, 19.
Here is the last work of that lovely Jesus who has been pleading so many hundred years. While he is cleansing the Sanctuary we must live without sin or he must still intercede for us, and while he intercedes for sin he does for sinners. We should not have known the extent of sin without God's law which was placed in the Most Holy Place. How solemn is this last work for faith in man. O may we continue in the patience of the saints, and soon all our guilt will be canceled, or sins blotted out and we receive the promised blessing and all Israel will be free for ever and ever. C. W. SPERRY.
Continue reading: The Letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth Life