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Review and Herald, Vol. 32, No. 23.

PRAYING AND DOING;

Review and Herald

Dec 1, 1868

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 1, 1868

PRAYING AND DOING;

By R. F. Cottrell

—OR—

Formal Worship and Practical Godliness.

BY ELD. R. F. COTTRELL.
TEXT.— “And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” Luke vi, 46. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. vii, 21.
It is not our object to contrast praying and doing, forms of worship and moral duties, as being naturally opposed to each other; and then choose the one to the exclusion of the other. Both are necessary in the plan of salvation. Neither must be excluded. Earnest prayer should be continually offered, as though our all depended upon it; and, at the same time, obedience to moral law should be as scrupulously circumspect as if our salvation depended entirely upon that. Put the two together, and, by the grace of God, we can work out our salvation with fear and trembling.
  • But prayer alone, however earnest it may be thought, and faith that does not produce good works—humble obedience and holy living—will never give us a passport into the kingdom of God. “Faith without works is dead,” and prayer that is not seconded by right doing, i. e., obedience to the will of the Father, as expressed in his moral law, the ten commandments, is not only vain in the sight of God, but abominable, as we shall show. We do not then undervalue prayer and the instituted ordinances of the church, while we attempt to prove that faithful work is more acceptable to God than the most zealous and, thought-to-be, holiest worship. True worship consists in working together with Christ. Prayers, exhortation, and talk, are cheap fruits which are frequently tied on, but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a good tree.”
Three things are required of man in his present state, neither of which may be omitted: 1. To do justly; 2. To love mercy; 3. To walk humbly with God. Micah vi, 8. The first is fulfilled by uprightness and honesty in rendering to all their dues according to the commandments of God; the second in being merciful and benevolent to the afflicted and needy, which is godlike and a fulfillment of the golden rule, the keeping in spirit of that spiritual law which hangs upon love to God and man; and the third—walking humbly with God—includes faith, prayer, and obedience to all the ordinances of religion. Each of these must have its proper place. But when we make faith, prayer, and the form of worship, supersede obedience to the commandments of God, it is like punctiliously tithing mint and anise and rue, and omitting the more weighty matters of the law—judgment, mercy, and the love of God. “These,” said the Saviour, “ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.”
Well doing, acts of benevolence and mercy, keeping the commandments of God, rather than prayer and ceremonial observances, will give us a passport into the city and kingdom of God.
“Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward against the innocent. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.” Ps. xv.
“Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matt. xxv, 34–40.
“Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Rev. xxii, 14.
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified; . . . in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.” Rom. ii, 13, 16.
Thus it is as commandment-keepers, as doers of the law of God, that people are to pass the test of the Judgment, and the gates of the city of God. They must, however, in the first place, through the grace of God, be justified from their past sins by faith in the blood of Christ; then as doers of the law, they are justified in the Judgment, and have a right to the tree of life in the paradise of God. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God, being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.” Rom. iii, 23–26.
Some, however, purpose to spend their lives in the service of self and sin, and then in the last extremity, perhaps on a dying bed, call on the name of the Lord, and pray themselves into the kingdom. They comfort themselves with this text: “For whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Rom. x, 13. They should remember that it is said to those who refuse the call of Wisdom, and will not turn at her reproofs, “When distress and anguish come upon you, then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early but they shall not find me.” See Prov. i, 24–28. So there is such a thing as praying and not being heard. Those who would have the Lord hear when they call, should get the clue to prevailing prayer from I John iii, 22: “And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do these things that are pleasing in his sight.” Doing is that which makes prayer prevailing.
Worship is not acceptable without obedience to God. All worship is in vain which substitutes the commandments of men for the commandments of God. “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Matt. xv, 7–9.
The Jews, to whom Jesus addressed this language, had, by a seemingly pious tradition, released men from their obligation to honor their parents, thus making void the fifth commandment of the decalogue. If the wealthy son would dedicate his property to the Lord, he might say to an aged and needy parent, It is a gift to the treasury of the Lord, all that I might otherwiseuse to supply your wants, and I cannot recall it for your benefit, though I may use what I need for my own. In this case the tradition said they were free, i. e., exempt from their obligation to honor their parents with their substance. “Thus,” said the Saviour, “have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition.”
Is not the Sabbath commandment made void at the present day, by a similar tradition of men? This commandment requires men to rest from their secular employments on the seventh day, the day on which God rested from the work of creation. But there is a tradition that it is said comes down to us from the apostles, as the Jewish tradition we have referred to claimed to have come to them from the days of Moses, which sets men free from their obligation to keep the day which the Lord blessed and sanctified, and from an equally pious motive, i. e., that of honoring the Lord Jesus Christ by observing the day of his resurrection instead of the Sabbath of the decalogue. Thus the commandment of God is made of none effect by this tradition. The words of Jesus are as true in this case as in the other: “In vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
Men may imagine that the Lord is not very particular to have them do just what he says. But they are mistaken in this. His language is, “In all that I command thee, be circumspect.” When we disregard his moral precepts, the worship we offer is not only unacceptable and vain, but it is an abomination to the Lord. “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord; but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” Prov. xv, 8. “He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.” Prov. xxviii, 9. Thus we see that if men disregard the moral law, the ten commandments, all their worship, their sacrifices, and their prayers, are not only vain, but abominable. Their observance of church ordinances is that which the Lord hates. Even the forms of worship which he has appointed are rendered an abomination and iniquity by a disregard of his moral requirements.
“Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah; to what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lord; I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams; and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts? Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth; they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers I will not hear; your hands are full of blood; wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well; seek judgment; relieve the oppressed; judge the fatherless; plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson they shall be as wool. If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land. But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword; for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. Isa. i, 10–20.
Substitutes will not answer instead of what God has commanded, whether of a moral or ceremonial character. Voluntary worship, or following our own devices instead of what he has required, will never be accepted by Him whose right it is to prescribe what we shall do. Cain's sacrifice was not accepted, because he did not do well, i. e., he did not do as God had commanded. Nadab and Abihu offered strange fire before the Lord and died. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them; and they died before the Lord. Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace.” Lev. x, 1–3.
They may have reasoned like this: Fire is fire; and we see no difference between the fire from our own hearth and the fire which the Lord has kindled upon his altar. Common fire will burn the incense just as well, and it cannot make any difference. But they were mistaken; and so are all those that reason in the same way. Some reason in a similar manner, as follows: A day is a day; one is as good as another; and I don't believe it makes any difference which day we keep, if we only keep one as it ought to be kept. To such we would say, As God had hallowed fire upon the altar, so he has a hallowed day, one which he has appointed and reserved to himself. It is the seventh day, the day on which he rested from his creative work, and though you may adopt the sum and substance of the skeptic's creed—I don't believe—the time will come when you will know that God is just as particular as to what day you keep, as he was in regard to the kind of fire the sons of Aaron used in burning incense before him. Sentence against an evil work is not always executed thus speedily; but the time will come when every one shall receive according to his works; and the ignorance of our pious ancestors will be no excuse to screen us from the justice of Him who slew those priests because they did not sanctify the Lord by doing just what he had commanded them, but chose to offer him something else which they thought would do just as well.
The case of Saul the king of Israel, will illustrate this subject further by showing that God is better pleased to have men do as he bids them, than to offer him pretended sacrifices and hypocritical prayer and praise. The Lord had commanded Saul by the prophet Samuel, to go and utterly destroy the Amalekites on account of their sins, sparing nothing, neither man nor beast. Saul and the people executed the order in part, but spared the king of Amalek and the best of the sheep and oxen and fatlings, and “all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them; but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.” They had, seemingly, a very pious motive for doing so; namely, to offer sacrifices to the Lord. They would more than make up for their disobedience by offering extra worship. But what was the result? We will read:
“And Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have performed the commandment of the Lord. And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear? And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites; for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.” 1 Sam. 15, 13–15.
This was the plea of Saul. But what was the answer of the Lord to him? “And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt-offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.” Verses 22, 23.
These illustrations show us that the Lord would have us, first of all things, do as he commands; and no amount of formal worship, of sacrifices and prayers, or outward observances, will compensate for our disobedience. These things are required by the Lord, and are right and acceptable, when offered from the heart. But to offer them thus, there must also be a hearty obedience to all else that God requires. We cannot make up our want of doing by any amount of praying. Nay, unless we are willing to yield a cheerful obedience to all his commandments, our prayers are not only vain worship, but an insult to the Majesty of Heaven, and terribly displeasing in his sight.
Then, my friends and brethren, let us realize that to obey is better than sacrifice. There is no danger of our doing too much in the way of obedience to the commandments of God, or in the cause of the salvation of our fellow-men. But if we neglect these things, and still hold on to the forms of worship, it may be asked of us, “Who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts?”
And the fact that many will be deceived in this matter, should awaken all our energies to do the whole will of the Lord. “Why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity.”
The blessed Saviour will not acknowledge any as his servants in the Judgment, that do not the will of his Father. If we would be accepted of God, let us keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. Then we may pray, and he will hear. And when the decisive day shall come, we shall hear our Saviour say, Well done. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.

WAITING.

By Herald of Kingdom

Long years we have been waiting, Since first we heard the cry, “Behold, Messiah cometh, Redemption draweth nigh.” Long years of pain and trial, Long years of hope deferred, But still, though faint and weary, We’ve trusted in his word.
We’ve watched the signs that tell us The Lord will soon appear, Plainly as budding fig trees Foretell the summer near; We’ve seen the scoffer walking In unbelief and pride, And heard from lips unholy, The word of God denied.
Now wrong and evil triumph, And make their haughty boast, While right, and truth, and justice, Are trampled in the dust. We’ve reached the days of peril, By holy ones foretold, When men have turned to fables, And faith and love grew cold.
Long years we have been waiting, And still we wait in hope, While earth is wrapped in darkness, And men in blindness grope; Still shines the word prophetic, A light upon our way, To warn us of its dangers, And guide us to the day.
Long years we have been waiting, And we will wait until Messiah reigns in glory, Enthroned on Zion’s hill; We’ll watch the signs around us, With truth our hearts we’ll gird, And while we walk in peril, We’ll trust his holy word.
—Herald of Kingdom.

GIVING.

By J. W. K.

“How much ought I to give to charitable objects?”
That depends upon a previous question.
“A previous question! and pray what is that?”
It is simply: Are you your own man? or are you a steward?
“Oh! of course I am a steward.”
Then your first question is easily answered. As a steward, you are entrusted with the property of your Master. Every dollar and every dime of that property is to be invested for him, according to your best judgment, with undeviating regard to his interests. You know what those interests are. He has proclaimed them very widely.
Here is one form of his proclamation: “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” You see his object; it is to save the world; and you see his contribution to the object; his only begotten Son. Of course this object is immensely dear to him; and, as you hope to find favor with God, you will not scruple to follow his lead, in the spirit of the largest liberality.
“Certainly; but then, you see, this don’t meet my difficulty as to how much I ought to give. It is all very well, you know, but too general to be of any use.”
To me it seems exceedingly minute. It points to what our Lord has done and suffered; and on this basis lays claim to all you have and are. But here is another form of proclamation that is very precise: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, soul, mind, and strength, and thy neighbor as thyself.” You see you are to give so much, and in such ways, as will exactly correspond with this measure of love. Isn’t that plain?
“You have a curious way of putting things. Instead of answering my question straight out, you go to preaching a kind of a sermon.”
Ah! you thought, perhaps, that I would say ten per cent., or twenty per cent., of your income. But having admitted that you are only a steward, it follows that the income, being his income, is in trust, as well as the principal. This is no sermon, my friend; it is only a statement of fact. Is it not absolutely true, and plain as the sun at noonday? You are to devote your entire income to the promotion of your Master’s object. I have already stated that his object is to save the world. But as you call for particulars, here is a more particular utterance: “He will have all men to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Now, in the exercise of your best judgment, you may go or send. If you go, I understand him to say that you may “live of the gospel;” that you are exempt from the task of money-making; but if you send, you are bound to be large-hearted, and to send as many preachers as the property intrusted to you will permit. You may choose between one field and another; you may have your option of the zones, temperate, torrid,or frigid; you may elect the living speaker, or the printed page; but you are to hasten to give the gospel to every creature; and, to the extent of your ability, with your own lips, and out of the abundance of your heart, you are to declare it. You are to spare no pains, and to keep back no money until all men have received the truth.
“But would you have me clothe myself and my family in homespun, and live on bread and water?”
I have no instructions on those points. I only know that we have a generous Master, who says, “No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.” He also says, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you. For your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.” If you find that in broadcloth you can reach and save more souls, by all means wear it; he’ll never grudge the outlay. One of his most exemplary stewards says, “Unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to the weak I became as weak, that I might gain the weak; I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.” Do but keep this same end in view, and you are free to use your own judgment as to dress and diet.
But be not deceived, my dear friend; God is not mocked; be one thing or another. If you are in truth a steward, hold fast by that, and regulate your life accordingly. Do not play at fast and loose with him, of whom an ancient worthy says, “Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.” Better not vow, than vow and not pay. If the Lord be indeed your God, serve him; and serve him generously. Give him your whole heart. Has it never occurred to you that you have a wealth of love to lavish, not yet drawn upon, could you but find an object worthy of all you have to give?
Have you never turned in disappointment from the pursuits which engross you? saying, with him whose range was even wider than your own, “What profit hath a man of all his labor which he taketh under the sun? All things are full of labor; man cannot utter it; the eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing.” Is not this true to your own experience? Then do not trifle with your stewardship. Come to Jesus, with all your resources of love and labor. First of all give yourself to him. Be it that you think you have already done so; some flaw there surely has been in your deed of dedication, or you would never puzzle over a question so superficial as, How much ought I to give to charitable objects? This question is no question to him who is truly and thoroughly a steward.
The loving friend of our most loving Lord can never doubt his own welcome to all he needs; nor does he imagine that Jesus is in any degree dependent upon us. “Hear, O my people, and I will speak. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, or thy burnt offerings continually before me [albeit you have offered the maimed and the blind]. I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he-goats out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains; and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell thee; for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.”
For your own benefit, I permit you to bring me your offerings; not because I need a gift, but because you need to cultivate the spirit of giving; and I value you for what you are, infinitely more than for all you do or can do. My aim is to transform you into my own image; to bring your life into harmony with mine. My life is a life of perpetual giving. Have you not read that “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament sheweth his handiwork?” This declaration is a priceless gift to man: that “day unto day uttereth speech” of my beneficence; and “night unto night sheweth knowledge” of it. Nor is my generosity limited to the creations of material wealth. Is not my law a gift of healing, converting the soul? The testimony of the Lord, is it not wisdom for the simple? The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Such, and such like, are my gifts to you; will you debate the question, What per cent. of my stewardship shall I employ for him who gave me all I have and am? Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? And if you love me, will you bargain for a separate purse? for houses and lands, for furniture and equipage? Will you raise the question, How far may a steward go in self-indulgence, and escape the challenge of his Lord? To what extent may he be heedless of his Master’s aims, and not be turned out of his stewardship? Do you not see that the question, How much ought I to give to charitable objects, comes of losing sight of your being only a steward?
Perhaps you will say, “But I never intended to lose sight of it. I wish always to remember that I am a steward.”
Then, dear friend, you must give and keep giving. You must often renew the dedication of yourself to God, to Jesus the Great Benefactor. Be not content with giving money. So long as you permit yourself to think that money-giving meets your Lord’s demands upon you, you will be exposed to the danger of a warped and biased judgment. The world is not in harmony with Jesus. The sentiment and life of almost all around you is wholly unlike the mind of Christ; and your standard will inevitably sink to their low level, unless you protect yourself by the continuous employment of all your powers for Him.
Our only safety lies in the total consecration of all we have to Christ. We must come fully under what Dr. Chalmers calls “the expulsive power of a new affection.” Throw wide open your heart to Jesus. Give him full and exclusive possession. Invest for him all your powers of body, mind and heart. Then will you verify in your happy experience the truth of his own maxim, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Be insatiable in your desires for the largest baptism of the Holy Ghost, and of love, possible for Almighty God to bestow for Christ’s dear sake. Seek a higher Christian life than that which contents the vast majority of those who are called Christians. There is such a life. It is freely offered to every one; it is most freely offered to you. But remember, Jesus says, “Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.” This is but another way of saying, The disciple of Jesus must never lose sight of his stewardship. He must divert nothing of all the property intrusted to him from the Master’s intention.
In entering upon business life, thousands of Christians promise fairly that they will live and work for Christ. They are going to earn money for Christ, and do good with it. But thousands of Christians—of those at least who profess to be such—are found forgetful of their first intention, submerged by the great adversary in business practices, which, little by little, extinguish every breath of spiritual life, leaving them as worldly, as covetous, as greedy of gain, as those who make no pretense that they are the stewards of the Son of God. How is this? Whence comes it? In countless instances it comes of heedlessness at the very start. It comes of forgetting that a Christian end can never sanctify unchristian means. Our Christian young men seek business with the false assumption that any business, not wrong in itself, is open to them. Nothing can be more untrue.
“Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,” that offers itself to him who is inexorably resolved that he will be “filled with the knowledge of Christ’s will, in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that he will walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.” This is a high aim; and it costs much. Why should it not? It is a pearl of great price. Should not he who covets it, sell all that he has and buy it?
Is it not most seemly and suitable that the Christian’s life should bear a close resemblance to that of his glorious Master? Have you forgotten that he bought you with his own most precious blood? Is there any sacrifice too great to be made for him? And can you begin too soon the habit which is to be the habit of your life—the habit of a steward? To this habit belongs the ingenuousness of unspoiled childhood; the integrity of unsophisticated youth; the unswerving firmness of noble manhood; a precious treasure intrusted to you by the Master, to be used for him. Will you barter it away for what is called “a good situation,” “a handsome income?”
Once you had a disposition to befriend your fellow; a kindly interest in his welfare; a willingness to share with him your food or raiment; if he asked a mile, to go with him two, or more. Will you heed those who bid you “root out all such sensibility, as you value your success in life?” “Ah!” do you say, “but what can I do? If I am to live and succeed among men, must I not do as men do? Can I set myself against the tide of the universal race?”
It is written, “They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.” “Choose you this day whom you will serve?” If Christ be your Lord, and you his steward, choose him. And having made your choice, abide by your choice; for no man can serve two masters—masters so opposed as Christ and the world. Depend upon it, my friend, in the eye of Christ the lines are just so distinctly drawn. This is no question of percentage. Either you are the Lord’s steward, or you are not. You are free to choose, for he scorns to compel the service he solicits. Serve me, he says, and I will give you wages; rich, generous, glorious wages. Follow me, and you shall be heirs of God, joint-heirs with Christ, to an inheritance which beggars the wealth of kings; “an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.” For consider—“all things are yours, and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.” I admit you to fellowship with the King of kings.
Will you stoop from this summit to debate the question, “How much ought I to give to charitable objects?” Will you not rather present your soul and body, a living sacrifice, holy, and wholly consecrated to Him who loved you and gave himself for you?— J. W. K.

BIBLE CHRONOLOGY, GEN. V.

By John Matteson

ADAM was born A. M. 1. Seth, 130; Enos, 235. Adam died A. M. 930; Seth, 1042; Enos, 1140. Adam, Seth, and Enos, lived to see Lamech, the 9th from Adam. Lamech was 56 years old when Adam died, 168 when Seth died, 266 years old when Enos died.
Canaan, the 4th from Adam, was born A. M. 325; Mahalaleel, 395; Jared, 460. Canaan died A. M. 1235, having lived 910 years. Mahalaleel lived 895 years, and died A. M. 1290. Jared died A. M. 1422 having lived 962 years. These three lived contemporary with Noah, the 10th generation. They died in the 179th, 234th, and 366th, years of Noah, respectively.
Enoch, the seventh from Adam was born A. M. 622, and lived 365 years on this earth. Then he was translated A. M. 987, 669 years before the flood.
Methuselah, the 8th, was born A. M. 687, lived 969 years, and died A. M. 1656. In the same year the flood came.
Lamech, the 9th, was born A. M. 874, and lived 777 years till A. M. 1651. He died five years before the flood.
Noah, the tenth from Adam, being born A. M. 1056, lived 600 years till the flood, A. M. 1656. He died A. M. 2006, being 950 years old. Thus Noah, the last of the tenth generation, lived till more than half this world's history B. C. was finished. The year when Noah died, A. M. 2006, is called by the common chronology, B. C. 1998, instead of B. C. 1994, which would make just 4000 years. Consequently they begin the chronology called A. D., four years after Christ was born. Thus you will see in the Bible that the year of Christ's baptism is called A. D. 27 when he was 30 years old, the age appointed for service in the ministry and tabernacle. Num. iv, 3, 35, 43. JOHN MATTESON.

Pastoral Support

PASTORAL SUPPORT.— “Spurgeon says; ‘The world maintains its players and fiddlers far better than the Christian church remunerates its ministers, and a dancer or an actor will receive more than the most learned and edifying divine.’”

EASTERN TOUR.

By James White

Our visit to Connecticut was one of considerable interest, notwithstanding the low state of the cause and the extreme feebleness of Sr. Belden had a depressing influence upon us. Our testimony was received, and there seemed to be manifested something of the spirit of revival. We left for Norridgewock, Me., Wednesday, the 11th, and stopped at the American House, Boston. Mrs. W. was very weary, and in much suffering. I called for a good room, and enjoyed it, but had a liberal bill to pay in the morning.
Refreshed with sleep, we enjoyed our simple breakfast, and hastened to the train for Portland. Mrs. W. was afflicted. Constant labor, traveling, and writing every spare moment, to which add the anxiety of nearly a week with a very feeble sister, had brought her to a condition of great suffering. We made the best of our condition. We visited with fellow travelers the best we could, sympathized with an almost helpless, feeble lady, who had to be carried into, and out of, the cars, and found relief in trying to instruct and encourage her. Mrs. W. entered heartily into this work, and seemed to get better. At Skowhegan, we met Bro. Waggoner at the car door, with hand extended to take our hand-baggage, and assist us to the good home of Bro. and Sr. A. B. Atwood. The next morning, Nov. 13, we and our baggage were taken to Norridgewock in a sleigh. We were sorry to find that our appointments had reached the State but a few hours before us, and the prospect was that our meeting must be small.
Sabbath morning, our congregation was not small, though there were but few from abroad, because of the limited time of the appointment. Our meeting on the Sabbath was excellent. Mrs. W. spoke in the afternoon with great power. With many, real advance for the past year, is evident, and with all there is a readiness to receive our testimony. May God help us to speak to the honor of his name and to the good of his people. The word of truth is taking hold of the minds and the feelings of the people, and we cannot feel free to leave the State without meeting the brethren generally in the State. We therefore decide to remain at Norridgewock another week, and send out the appointment throughout the State by letter, hoping for a general rally the 20–23. We put off the Portland meeting one week, and the Rhode Island meeting two weeks.
We have never felt the necessity for good and timely arrangements of appointments as on this tour. In going from State to State, appointments should be out at least four weeks in advance. It is true that they cannot always be made to best advantage far in the future; but the disadvantages of such arrangements cannot be a tithe to those we labor under at this time.
Bro. Waggoner's labors are appreciated by the brethren in this State; and the prospect is encouraging for a better state of things. I think there has been as much real advance in this State the past year as in any other. The greatest lack is in the ministers in the State who say that Maine is a hard field. This is true of the past, as Elders Loughborough, Cornell, Andrews, Canright, and others, can testify; but the principal reason of its being a hard field of labor is the inefficiency and lack of disposition and courage to take hold of the work with those sent by the General Conference to labor in the State. There has been, however, an advance in this State on the part of the ministers, somewhat in proportion to the improvement on the part of the brethren generally. When the ministers come up to the work, Maine will be as good a field of labor as any other. JAMES WHITE.
South Norridgewock, Me., Nov. 17, 1868.
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