Review and Herald, Vol. 50, No. 12. (9/13/1877)

Review and Herald

Sep 13, 1877

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 13, 1877

THE ABODE OF THE DEAD.

By John G. Matteson

BY ELD. JOHN G. MATTESON.

Many who style themselves orthodox will not admit that those who do not belong to their denomination, can labor to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. But even if we regard them as being the most intimate disciples of Christ on the earth at present, they do yet make a great mistake when they try to hinder others from doing good in the name of Jesus Christ. “And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us; and we forbade him; because he followeth not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not; for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is on our part.” Mark 9:38–40.

THE LIVELY ORACLES.

Some would confine the lively oracles (Danish, living word) to certain formulas which are read by the priest in a church. But according to the testimony of the Scriptures, they comprise both the law and the gospel, and the Scriptures cannot be gainsaid:—

“This is he that was in the church in the wilderness with the angel which spake to him in the Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the lively oracles to give unto us.” Acts 7:38. Here we have a plain testimony that the ten commandments are lively oracles, and that they are given to us—to Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and to all other Christians. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Heb. 4:12. The whole word of God is therefore quick (Danish, a living word), and not a dead letter, as the Catholic Church would have people believe. Thus Stephen and Paul testify. We will now quote another witness, the apostle Peter; we have this point, therefore, made sure in the mouth of three good witnesses:—

“Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever. For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away; but the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” 1 Pet. 1:23–25. The word of God, which is contained in the gospel, is therefore a living and regenerating word. It can make us wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Tim. 3:15.

If baptism be the chief means of regeneration, why does Paul write to the church in Corinth: “I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius; lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name. And I baptized also the household of Stephanas; besides, I know not whether I baptized any other. For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.” 1 Cor. 1:14–17. Paul certainly understood and obeyed our Saviour’s injunction in Matt. 28:19, 20: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” But this testimony from the great apostle to the Gentiles shows clearly that the most important part of the work of the ministry is not to baptize, but to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God.

THE APOSTOLIC CREED.

The three Articles of Faith, as they are found in Luther’s smaller Catechism and in other places, have been styled the Apostolic Creed or Confession. But the Bible fails to show that the apostles have given a creed or confession exactly in this form. Paul says in his defense before the governor Felix and his Jewish accusers:—

“But this I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets; and have hope toward God, which they themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust. And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offense toward God, and toward men.” Acts 24:14–16.

And the gospel which Paul preached, whereby we also can be saved if we keep it in memory according to the way in which he made it known, 1 Cor. 15:1, 2, reads as follows:—

“For I delivered unto you first of all, that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” 1 Cor. 15:3, 4.

This is certainly the great substance of the gospel of Christ, whereby we can be saved, and it does not say a single word about his descent into hell.

CHRIST’S PREACHING UNTO THE SPIRITS.

“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved by water.” 1 Pet. 3: 18–20. In considering this text, we will notice the following points:—

1. The chronological order of the three principal events spoken of: a. Christ was put to death in the flesh. b. He was quickened by the Spirit, or, in other words, raised from the dead. c. He went and preached unto the spirits. This preaching is not mentioned as occurring between Christ’s death and resurrection. No argument can therefore be drawn from the chronological order of these events. Neither the word hades nor hell is used in this text at all, nor is anything said about ascending or descending.

2. Luther did not believe that we can know what Christ did while he was dead. In his “Exposition of Genesis,” vol. ii., chap. 42, he says:—

“321. But it is my belief that Christ at this beautiful place [Gethsemane] suffered the pains of hell. . . . Our Saviour, Jesus Christ, was therefore obliged to come to this valley, which plainly shows that he tasted death, which is hell.”

“322. Thus was Christ, our Lord and Redeemer, in hell itself for us; for he felt real death and hell in his body. What he did or felt when he was separated from his body, we cannot know; but alive and in his body he truly tasted hell.”

3. Christ could not while he was dead, preach to the spirits the gospel which Paul preached. He could not proclaim the glad tidings that he was risen from the dead and had gained the victory over the grave. He had not yet received the keys of death, nor opened the gates of hades. He was a prisoner himself there. He tasted death, and was laid away in the grave, for us. But Easter morn the gates of the grave burst open, and the Son of God could exclaim with joy: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” From that time has the joyful news sounded that Christ “rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

If it be said that Christ might have told the dead that he would rise again, we reply that he might have told them that twenty-five hundred years before, while they were living on the earth. The Spirit of God testified beforehand through the prophets in regard to the death and resurrection of Christ. And it would be of no avail to testify unto them, when the longsuffering of God did not wait any longer, and his Spirit would not operate upon them any more. Its operations upon them ceased at the end of the one hundred and twenty years, when the deluge came. Gen. 6:3: “And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh; yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.” This proves that the Spirit of Christ is the Holy Spirit.

4. These spirits were not Gentiles who had never heard the gospel; because they lived in the days of Noah, and he was “a preacher of righteousness.” 2 Pet. 2:5. Peter says that they sometime were disobedient. To what were they disobedient? To the preaching of Noah and to the strivings of the Spirit of God. This text does not therefore prove that the gospel was preached to those Gentiles who did not hear it on the earth; for it speaks of people who had heard the word of God before they died, but were disobedient thereto.

5. Many have the idea that the Gentiles are rather a privileged class of people. They are afraid that God will do them injustice if they cannot have an opportunity to be converted after death, or by some other unscriptural method be received into the kingdom of God. But by reading Lev. 18:21–24 and Rom. 1:23–32, it will be seen that they disregarded the knowledge of God, and gave themselves up to the most shameful vices. They were not only full of envy and murder, but they polluted themselves in the lowest and most unnatural manner.

6. God will judge every one according to his works, and the Gentiles will not receive greater punishment than they deserve. “For the day of the Lord is near upon all the heathen; as thou hast done, it shall be done unto thee; thy reward shall return upon thine own head. For as ye have drunk upon my holy mountain, so shall all the heathen drink continually, yea, they shall drink, and they shall swallow down, and they shall be as though they had not been.” Obad. 15, 16. They shall arise in the last day and acknowledge that the Lord will not be mocked. And then they will be burned up in the fire, which is prepared for the devil and his angels, and they will not arise nor live any more. “Lord, when thy hand is lifted up, they will not see: but they shall see, and be ashamed for their envy at the people; yea, the fire of thine enemies shall devour them.” “They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish.” Isa. 26:11, 14. But in regard to those who believe, the prophet says: “Thy dead men shall live, together with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust; for thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead.” Verse 19. This harmonizes with the New Testament, which says that the wicked shall die “the second death.” Rev. 20:6, 14; 21:8.

7. What, then, does the text above quoted, 1 Pet. 3:18–20, teach us? a. Christ did not preach personally, but by his Spirit. b. The expression spirits sometimes refers to human beings. 1 John 4:1. They were kept in store to the time of the flood, just as the world which now is, is reserved unto fire against the day of Judgment. 2 Pet. 3:7. c. Christ testified by his Spirit through Noah, and Noah warned his fellow-men before the flood came, when the longsuffering of God waited; but the majority of them were disobedient to the word of God.

THE GRAVES IN THE EARTH ARE CALLED HADES, WHICH IS THE ABODE OF THE DEAD.

Soul and body go down into hades when the man dies, but the spirit goes to God who gave it. “Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.” Eccl. 12:7. “Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled; thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created; and thou renewest the face of the earth.” Ps. 104:29, 30. “If he set his heart upon man, if he gather unto himself his spirit and his breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust.” Job 34:14, 15. God preserves the spirit of man till the resurrection. Man then receives life and breath again. Eze. 37:5, 9, 10. But that the soul goes to hades, or the grave, as well as the body, is clearly shown by the following texts:—

“But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave; for he shall receive me.” Ps. 49:15. “For great is thy mercy toward me; and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell [margin, grave].” Ps. 86:13. “For my soul is full of troubles; and my life draweth nigh unto the grave.” Ps. 88:3. “What man is he that liveth, and shall not see death? shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave? Selah.” Ps. 89:48. “Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [hades], neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” Acts 2:27. This was spoken of the resurrection of Christ, “that his soul was not left in hell.” Verse 31.

In hades no one can praise and thank God. There is no remembrance of the Lord there. All is dark and still. And there is neither work nor device there. “I [Hezekiah] said in the cutting off of my days, I shall go to the gates of the grave; I am deprived of the residue of my years.”

“For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee. They that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth.” Isa. 38:10, 18. “For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks?” Ps. 6:5. “The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down into silence.” Ps. 115:17. The soul and body go down into hades, where there is undisturbed silence. “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest. There the prisoners rest together.” Job 3:17, 18. Hades is “the land of darkness, and the shadow of death; a land of darkness, as darkness itself; and of the shadow of death, without any order, and where the light is as darkness.” Job 10:21, 22. “Let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the grave.” Ps. 31:17. “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” Eccl. 9:10.

In the New Testament we have an account of Lazarus, the brother of Martha and Mary. He descended into hades, and the Lord called him up again. But he did not have anything to relate in regard to what he did or thought while there. John 11. That there is no work in hades is also clearly seen from 2 Cor. 5:10, and similar texts: “For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” God “hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness.” And this is the last day, or day of Judgment. Man would have to give account for more than that which is done in the body, if there be any work in hades.

That the abode of the dead is the grave, is seen clearly from the following text: “And they shall not lie with the mighty that are fallen of the uncircumcised, which are gone down to hell with their weapons of war; and they have laid their swords under their heads.” Eze. 32:27. Hell in this text is grave in the Danish. The grave is certainly the place where the mighty go down with their weapons of war, and where their swords are laid under their heads. Soldiers in ancient times were buried with their weapons. The fact that in a few places the dead are represented as speaking, does not destroy the force of all these clear testimonies.

THE DAY OF JUDGMENT IS THE TIME FOR PUNISHMENT AND REWARD.

“When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; and before him shall be gathered all nations, and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 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.” Matt. 25:31–34. “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” Verse 41. “And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great, and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth.” Rev. 11:18. “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word.” 2 Tim. 4:1, 2. “And behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.” Col. 3:3, 4. “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” 1 Pet. 5:4. “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.” 1 John 3:2. These and many other texts plainly establish this great truth, and it rejoices our longing hearts to know that the great day of the Lord is fast approaching, when these glorious events will be fulfilled before our eyes.

Our dear Saviour who has the keys to the grave, will open its heavy gates, and those who have loved him will awake, and sing with gladness. And Jesus will take them home to the beautiful city above, where they will celebrate the marriage of the Lamb, and give to the Lord eternal praise and adoration.

RESURGAM

By Phœbe Cary

O mine eyes, be not so tearful; Drooping spirit, rise, be cheerful; Heavy soul, why art thou fearful?

Nature’s sepulcher is breaking, And the earth, her gloom forsaking, Into life and light is waking.

Oh the weakness and the madness Of a heart that holdeth sadness When all else is light and gladness!

Though thy treasure death has taken, They that sleep are not forsaken, They shall hear the trump, and waken.

Shall not He who life supplieth To the dead seed, where it lieth, Quicken also man, who dieth?

Yea, the power of death was ended When He who to hell descended, Rose, and up to Heaven ascended.

Rise, my soul, then, from dejection, See in nature the reflection Of the dear Lord’s resurrection.

Let this promise leave thee never: If the might of death I sever, Ye shall also live forever.

—Phœbe Cary.

ACTIVE FAITH.

By G. F. Richmond

“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” James 2:17.

THERE is no healthy increase of faith without works. Through faith, grace is given to every one, by which all are enabled to comply with God’s requirements. Said Jesus to his disciples, “Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22. Without it we cannot please God. Heb. 11:6.

When we first start out in the service of the Lord, our faith, although the groundwork of our actions, is nevertheless quite limited; but as we follow in the path of obedience, and calmly and decidedly meet all the common trials of life, our faith will have a steady, even growth. It will be like the oak upon the mountain-side, which extends its branches broader and higher, adding strength and beauty from year to year, while at every blast its roots take a firmer, deeper hold. It defies alike the storms of winter and the droughts of summer. Thus it is with the child of God. By enduring trials, we grow strong, so that trifles will not move us from duty’s path.

When Paul was called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, the Lord revealed to him how great things he must suffer for his name. Acts 9:16. He stood the test, and as he was about to lay off his armor, we hear him saying, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith; henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.” 2 Tim. 4:7, 8. In 2 Cor. 11:23–28, we have a summary of his trials, but notwithstanding all, on he went from place to place and city to city, assured of the fact that bonds and imprisonments awaited him. He had faith in the work in which he was engaged, and when through the weakness of the flesh it seemed as though the billows would sweep over his head, he could rejoice, knowing it was his privilege to unite his weakness with the strength of Him who sustains the universe. Paul was a strong man in the Lord, and stood amid the contending elements of his day like the oak of the mountain. His faith grew stronger by every adverse wind, and took deeper root as he saw the power of divine truth upon the human heart.

Shall not we, dear reader, take a fresh draught at the great fountain whence freely flows the pure principles of faith and love, and then go forth not counting our lives dear unto ourselves, that we may win souls to Christ? Let us go out by faith, having confidence that the truths we profess to believe are the truths by which the world is to be warned and tested, truths by which we are to be sanctified, and made meet to be partakers with the saints in glory. Says James, “Faith without works is dead.” A dead faith will never accomplish anything. We must have a living, abiding faith in God and the work he has assigned us, in order to arouse people to a sense of the coming Judgment. I believe the Lord would have us risk something in his service.

Are you fearful, my brother, if you leave your family to go out to gather souls into the heavenly garner that they will come to want? Can you not trust them in the hands of so kind a Father? Are not his promises ample? Then why not go at once? Why endure the reprovings of conscience for neglecting duty? Satan is ever ready to suggest that you had not better be in a hurry, but wait until you can see your way clear. Be not deceived by such suggestions; they are as deceptive as the mirage of the desert. Such will find out when too late that the golden moment is past, their service is not needed, the world has been warned, probation’s hour is no more. Oh! what a mistake! But there are many that will make just this mistake. Let us work while the day lasts; for the night cometh wherein no man can work.

G. F. Richmond.

CHRIST IN US.

Few Christians have attained to that intimate and complete union with Christ of which he spoke in the last interview with his disciples before his crucifixion, “Abide in me, and I in you.” It is not merely trusting in Christ, or walking with Christ; it is living in him, and having his presence ever in the soul. As two friends, though separated, live in each other’s thoughts and affections, and possess one spirit, seek each other’s happiness, rejoice in each other, and often without consultation come, as it were, instinctively to the same course of life, so Christ and the true believer are one.

Paul, in one of those sententious sayings which contain an epitome of the gospel, declares that the grand revelation of the New Testament is “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Oh! the preciousness of such a union with Christ! of such a real presence of the Saviour in the soul! And yet it is to be feared that many of his followers know but little of it.

Some have merely a historic Christ—others have a dogmatic Christ, the Christ of the catechisms and schools. What we need, in order to know the full power of Christ, the power of his life, the power of his doctrine, the power of his death, the power of his resurrection—is to have Christ in us as the object of thought, of trust, of affection, of desire, of hope, of joy—to be in sympathy with his feelings and his work—to be swayed by his spirit.—Sel.

SUICIDE IN PARIS.

All that wealth, art, luxury, sensuality, and thoughtless gayety can do for a city has been done for Paris. It is famed for its beauty, taste, and godlessness. The religion that has prevailed there has kept the Bible from the people; and the infidelity that has raged there has caused the streets to flow with human gore. A nation without a Bible has exhibited to the world the horrors of Saint Bartholomew’s Eve, the butcheries of the Reign of Terror, and the conflagrations of la Commune. When Napoleon was First Consul, it is stated that an Englishman in Paris desired to obtain a copy of the French Bible. He applied to various Parisian book-sellers, but there was not one copy to be found for sale in the city.

Surely such a city as this might be a good place to test the beauty of infidel theories which are afloat in the world. They have been tested there, and what is the result?

Says the American Cultivator, in an article on self-murder: “Statistical science is abolishing all our long-conceived notions of light-heartedness and gayety, as applied to the French nation. Notwithstanding the beautiful climate and country, and a material prosperity which astonishes the rest of the world, still the population of France remains stationary, the deaths, by one means or another, fully equaling the births. One startling reason of this is that suicide is so frequent throughout the land, especially in populous districts. No other city in the world can show such remarkable statistics relating to self-murder as can Paris. The means employed are various, the waters of the Seine and the fumes of charcoal being most frequently resorted to; but there is one mode of suicide which is almost unique, and, so far as we know, peculiar to the Parisians. The strange means of snatching death from the Maker’s hands is not by poison, drowning, the dagger, or the pistol, but by a flying leap into eternity.”

“For instance, official statistics show that one hundred and twenty-seven individuals have thrown themselves from the summit of the Column of Vendome, which rears itself nearly a hundred and fifty feet in the air, from the center of the Place Vendome. Our readers will remember that this lofty structure was destroyed during the mad reign of the Commune, but it has since been restored. From the Column of July, situated in the Place de la Bastille, rearing its lofty proportions over one hundred and fifty feet heavenward, forty-nine individuals have leaped to destruction. Strange must have been the infatuation of those desperate people as they stood upon the lofty pinnacle, beside the gilded figure of the Genius of Liberty, for a moment, before they hurled themselves into space. Of course the actuating cause in almost every instance must have been different; no two persons are stimulated by the same purposes.

“Another place in Paris rendered memorable in a similar manner is the Arc de Triomphe, at the upper end of the Champs Elysees. From its lofty height thirty-one individuals have hurled themselves into the jaws of death. This triumphal arch is situated upon the highest grounds in Paris, and is the finest and largest structure of the kind in the world. But of all the lofty heights from which the suicides of the French capital have leaped to certain destruction, the famous tower of Notre Dame takes precedence. Here an official record has been kept since the commencement of the last century, and it exhibits the fact that seven hundred and sixty-seven desperate human beings have thrown away their lives by leaping from the sky-reaching tower to the pavement below. Forty suicides per month is no unusual average in Paris from one year to another.”

Whoever is “without God” is also “without hope in the world.” And a city or a nation without Christ, without the Bible, without Sabbaths, or worship, or prayers, or songs of praise, will have lurid clouds above it, volcanic fires beneath, and mingled

with its periodic upheavals and convulsions will be the wails of despairing souls who, hopeless of the life that is to come, will throw away the “promise of the life that now is.”

“My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments; for length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.” Prov. 3:1.—The Armory.

THE AND A.

By C. L.

The Rev. G. Hughes, in the Guide to Holiness, of August, 1877, in speaking of the text, “The love of money is the root of all evil,” says:—

“We have recently seen it stated that the Bible translators propose to render the passage thus: ‘The love of money is a root of all evil.’ The case ought to be a very clear one to justify such a radical change. There is a great difference between the definite and the indefinite article, especially in this connection.”

We would commend the above to the attention of all who persist in changing “the Sabbath” and “the seventh day” of the commandment, to “a Sabbath” and “a seventh day.” C. L.

OIL THE HINGES.

By F. J.

I CHANCED to be in a family where the mother was an invalid.

Her little boy kept his playthings in a closet opening from the sitting-room. To and fro he passed with his train, headed by a tin engine, and loaded with numberless nondescript articles of transportation.

Meanwhile, the closet door kept up an incessant and unmusical creak, creak, till it seemed as if nerves would rebel outright. I expected each moment that the father would look up from his paper with, “I can’t have that noise any longer,” or that the mother would cry out, “I cannot endure it.” Instead of this, she rose from her couch in an adjoining room, came to the closet, took down a bottle of oil, drew a feather from a dusting brush, and thoroughly oiled the hinges.

Not a word was spoken; the mother returned to her resting-place; the father read on; the tin toys traveled along their tireless track; weary nerves relaxed their tension, and each felt conscious of having received a personal favor.

How often, amid the hurries and worries of home-life, might a little of the oil of gentleness stop the creaking. Many are the rusty hinges; their name is Legion. The cheerful, “Can I help you?” “Let me fix it,” “I’ll find it for you,” would smooth and soothe matters for little toddlers in fretful moments, as well as for wayworn pilgrims nearing the end of the journey.—F. J., in Christian Weekly.

POLLUTED WATERS.

By Willis

It is a lesson oftener learned than loved— All knowledge is not nourishment. The mind May pine upon its food. In reckless thirst The scholar sometimes kneels beside the stream Polluted by the lepers of the mind. The skeptic, with his doubts of all things good And faith in all things evil, has been there; And, as the stream was mingled, he has strewn The shore with all bright flowers to tempt the eye, And sloped the banks down gently for the feet; And Genius, like a fallen child of light, Has filled the place with magic, and compelled Most beautiful creations into forms And images of license, and they come And tempt you with bewildering grace to kneel And drink of the wild waters; and behind Stand the strong Passions pleading to go in; And the approving world looks silent on; Till the pleased mind conspires against itself, And finds a subtle reason why ’tis good. We are deceived, though, even as we drink, We taste the evil. In his sweetest tone The lying Tempter whispers in our ears, “*Though it may stain, ’twill strengthen your proud wings.*”

I need not follow the similitude. Truth is vitality, and if the mind Be fed on poison, it must lose its power— The vision that forever strains to err, Soon finds its task a habit; and the taste That will own nothing true or beautiful Soon finds the world distorted as itself. — Willis.

OHIO CONFERENCE.

By H. A. St. John; E. H. Gates

The fifteenth annual session of the Ohio State Conference of S. D. Adventists convened on the fair ground near Newark, Ohio, Aug. 16, 1877. Prayer by Eld. U. Smith.

All brethren in good standing were invited to participate in the deliberations of the Conference. Credentials of church delegates were then called for, showing fifteen delegates present, representing thirteen churches. The churches at Bowerville, Defiance, and Gilboa, not being represented, the following persons were appointed to act as delegates from these churches: Bro. Glasscock to represent the Bowerville church, Brn. Fisher and Daniels the Defiance church, and Sr. Olds the Gilboa church.

On motion, The appointing of committees was left to the President. The following committees were appointed: On Nominations: Wm. Chinnock, Eli Glasscock, D. S. Plum. On Auditing: H. A. St. John, J. B. Gregory, B. B. Francis, I. Edgerton, J. Bowers, J. Hall, N. Grant, E. C. Penn, O. T. Noble. On Resolutions: U. Smith, T. J. Butler, A. M. Mann. On Credentials and Licenses: L. S. Gregory, G. Bisel, B. B. Francis.

Adjourned to call of Chair.

SECOND SESSION.

Conference convened Aug. 17, at 5 P. M. Prayer by Bro. Cottrell. The Committee on Resolutions reported the following, which were passed by the Conference.—

Resolved, That we do highly appreciate the arduous and wearing labors of our faithful and beloved president, Eld. St. John, during the past year.

Resolved, That we heartily tender our thanks to the General Conference for the timely and efficient labors of Elds. Smith and Waggoner at our yearly meeting.

Resolved, That we heartily acquiesce in the arrangement of the General Conference in reference to quarterly meetings on the first Sabbath of every quarter.

Resolved, That we acknowledge with thankfulness the increasing tokens that God’s hand is in this work, and that we hereby express increasing faith in the message.

Resolved, That, as faith without works is dead, we pledge ourselves to increased efforts to discharge the responsibilities that rest upon us in view of the truth that God has given us.

Resolved, That we hereby express our appreciation of the kindness of the Agricultural Society in granting us the free use of their grounds for our camp-meeting, and of the police for the good order and quiet maintained upon the grounds.

On motion, Eld. H. A. St. John was appointed as delegate to the General Conference, with the privilege of choosing an alternate in case of inability to attend.

Voted, That the sum of $200 be donated to the General Conference.

The following resolution was unanimously passed by the Conference:—

Resolved, That this Conference hereby express its thankfulness to Eld. S. H. Lane, of the Indiana Conference, for his visit to us at this time, and for his help in our meeting, and that we cheerfully defray his expenses.

Voted, That the cost of the books purchased for the camp-meeting be defrayed by the Conference.

Adjourned to call of Chair.

THIRD SESSION.

Conference convened Aug. 19, at 5:30 A. M. Prayer by Eld. Waggoner.

The Committee on Nominations reported, and report was accepted. The following officers were unanimously elected: President, H. A. St. John; secretary, E. H. Gates; treasurer, A. A. Hutchins; Camp-meeting Committee, Wm. Beebe, H. H. Van Camp, Geo. Bisel; Executive Committee, H. A. St. John, I. Edgerton, O. Mears.

The Committee on Credentials and Licenses reported, recommending that the credentials of Eld. H. A. St. John be renewed, and that license be granted A. M. Mann, O. F. Guilford, and E. H. Gates.

The treasurer’s report was read, showing the following:—

Amount at commencement of year, $176.00 Received during year, 2204.12 $2380.12 Paid out, 2204.12 Cash on hand, 176.00 Total, $2380.12

A. A. HUTCHINS, Treasurer.