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Review and Herald, Vol. XXX, No. 16

THE HOPE OF THE PROMISE.

Review and Herald

Third-day, October 1, 1867.

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Third-day, October 1, 1867.

THE HOPE OF THE PROMISE.

By Isaac Sanborn

BY ELD. ISAAC SANBORN.

TEXT. “And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers, unto which promise our twelve tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come.” Acts xxvi, 6, 7.

In the investigation of this subject, we shall notice

The nature of the promises here referred to.
The reason why they hoped.
The strength of that hope.

1. The promises. As Paul asserts that they were made unto the fathers, we understand he refers to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and especially to Abraham, whom he calls the father of the faithful. “What shall we say, then, that Abraham, our father pertaining to the flesh, hath found?” And speaking of believers, he says, “Who also walked in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham.” Rom. iv, 1, 12.

Let us then carefully notice some of the promises made by God unto Abraham. “Now, the Lord had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee; and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee; and in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” Gen. xii, 1–3. Here we see seven distinct promises made to Abraham on condition that he would leave his father’s house, his country, and his kindred, which you must all readily see could not be performed by Abraham unless he believed God, and had perfect confidence in what God had said.

Paul says Abraham believed God, and “it [that is, his faith] was imputed to him for righteousness,” because “he staggered not at the promises of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Rom. iv, 20. I often hear people talk about having perfect faith, without which it is impossible to please God, which can only be developed by perfect obedience to all of God’s requirements. Jesus says, “If a man love me he will keep my words.” John xiv, 23.

Again, “The Lord said unto Abraham, after that Lot was separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art, northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward; for all the land that thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever. And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give it unto thee.” Gen. xiii, 14–17. Here are two particular things we wish you to notice. The first is, the multiplication of the seed; the other is, the land that Abraham looked over and walked through is what God promised to give him and his seed.

“And when Abraham was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abraham and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and be thou perfect.” Gen. xvii, 1. Here we again ask you to notice with care that God calls on Abraham to be perfect. How often you and I have heard people say, It is impossible for any one to be and to live perfect in this world. Now as we trust that all our hearers believe the Bible, we will read some more on this subject. Jesus says, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. v, 48. Says Paul: “Whom we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.” Col. i, 28. “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” Col. iv, 12. How clearly we can here see that the perfection which God required of Abraham and of us, is perfect obedience to his holy law, which David says is perfect. Ps. xix, 7.

Now as God is making the same promise to Isaac that he made to Abraham, he acknowledges that Abraham did all that he told him. “And the Lord appeared unto him [Isaac] and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land that I shall tell thee of; sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee and unto thy seed will I give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham, thy father; . . . because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” Gen. xxvi, 2–5. What was God’s charge here referred to? You answer, To be perfect. So we see the father of the faithful did the will of God perfectly. Said Jesus to a certain class who claimed to be the children of Abraham, “If ye were Abraham’s children, ye would do the works of Abraham.” John viii, 39. Dear brethren and sisters, do we profess to be children of Abraham, or the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus?

Then let us remember and keep God’s charge, which reads thus: “Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect.” Matt. v, 48. “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy.” 1 Pet. i, 15, 16. May the Lord help us to keep this solemn charge, that we may be numbered with those of whom the Lord says, “They are without fault before the throne of God.” Rev. xiv, 5.

But we return to notice that Abraham obeyed God’s voice when he offered up his son. God said: “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, . . . and offer him for a burnt-offering.” And without a murmur or a complaint, we see him taking his dear son three days’ journey to a certain mountain that the Lord shewed him, and there build an altar and lay the wood in order upon it, then bind his son and lay him upon the wood, and take the knife to slay him, and thus obey the voice of God. Paul says that he believed that God was able to raise his son up even from the dead. Heb. xi, 19. Then “the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of Heaven . . . and said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because thou hast obeyed my voice.” Gen. xxii, 15–18.

Here are two things in particular which I hope you will remember: first, that God showed the strength of Abraham’s faith by the quality of the sacrifice which he called upon him to make. Just so the strength of our faith is being made manifest now by the sacrifices we make for the glory of God’s name, and the advancement of his cause. Secondly, the oath of the Lord here referred to, by which we understand he designed to give unto all the heirs of promise strong consolation. See Heb. vi, 17–19.

As we now wish to know more of the nature of these promises, we will hear Paul in Gal. iii, 16. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” This proves clearly that God has promised his Son Jesus Christ all these countries for an everlasting possession, which agrees with Ps. ii, 8, where the Lord says, “Ask of me, and I will give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.” Again, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” Matt. v, 5. But you ask, If Christ is the seed, then how will God multiply the seed? Says Paul: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus; for as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” Gal. iii, 26–29. Here the Lord has clearly shown that none of those national titles or names can possibly give us an heirship or title to the promises, but faith in Christ

Jesus, with a holy obedience to his gospel, will.

But some of my hearers may wonder how God can bless the nations in Abraham’s seed, which is Christ, as he promised. Hear Jesus: “All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations.” “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved, and he that believeth not shall be damned.” See the Bible translated into more than two hundred different languages, and missionaries sent among all nations known to us on the globe, preaching a crucified and resurrected Saviour. Thus all nations have been and are being blessed. John says he saw a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stand before the throne. Rev. vii, 9. “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation, and hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth.” Rev. v, 9, 10. Thus we see how perfectly God will fulfill his promise to Abraham.

But as some may think that Abraham and the seed have had the promises, we will read again: “Then said the high priest, Are these things so? And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken: The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans and dwelt in Charran; and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on; yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession.” Acts vii, 1–5.

Paul says, “By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out not knowing whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. . . . These all died in faith, not having received the promises.” Heb. xi, 8–13. We see then that Abraham did not have enough of that land to set his foot on before his death, and that Jesus said of himself that he had not enough to lay his head upon, but he was buried in another man’s grave, and that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, Sarah, Rebekah, and Leah and Joseph, were all buried in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan. Gen. xlix, 29–31.

But here short-sighted unbelief says, Then the promises of God to them have failed. But it is that unbelief that will fail. Now hear the Lord again: “Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you, and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again.” John xiv, 1–3. Therefore says Paul: “The Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thess. iv, 16–18. Now that we may know what their condition will be when thus raised from the dead we will read again: “Behold I shew you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Cor. xv, 51–54. Here we see that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the seed (or twelve tribes), both living and dead, will receive immortality (that is, everlasting, unending life). “But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Verse 57.

Where do they go when they thus get the victory over death and the grave? Answer: To the Father’s house as we have already shown from Rev. vi, 9, and v, 9, 10, where John says he saw the throne of God and the Lamb, the streets of gold and walls of jasper, and in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river of life, was there the tree of life. The wall of the city had twelve foundations, which must therefore be the one that Abraham looked for, and which John says came down from God out of Heaven upon the new earth. Rev. xxi. After the first resurrection, the saints will reign with Christ a thousand years; then after the second resurrection and destruction of the wicked, they will reign upon the earth renewed forever and ever. Rev. xx, and Isa. lxvi, 22, 23.

You will notice that in the text Paul speaks of the twelve tribes, and that John saw twelve gates to the city, and over them the names of the twelve tribes, and therefore all that ever enter through those gates into that city will certainly have to belong to one of the twelve tribes; and as there may be some confusion in the minds of some on this subject, we will notice the following scriptures, which we think will set all right: “For they are not all Israel which are of Israel, . . . but in Isaac shall thy seed be called. That is, they which are the children of the flesh [that is, Jews by birth], these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.” Rom. ix, 6–9. God has given us a sample of counting the seed. See Gal. iii, 26: “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.” Then there is no possible way of becoming a child of the promise and an heir with Christ but by faith in Jesus Christ, and repentance toward God, Acts xx, 21, which is to cease to transgress his holy, just, and good law, and be baptized for the remission of their sins. Acts ii, 38. “Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection.” Rom. vi, 3–5.

2. The reason why they hope is, first, because they believe God and have a strong desire to obtain the promises that God has made, and secondly, because they have now complied with the conditions upon which the promises are made; which shows that the hope is a compound, made of desire and expectation. They are now hoping to receive the promise, not because they merit it, but because they believe in Jesus and obey him, which is only their reasonable service.

3. The strength of their hope. Paul says: “Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath; that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have STRONG consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us; which hope we have as an anchor of the soul both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail,” [that is, to Jesus]. Heb. vi, 17–19.

This hope was sufficiently strong to keep Paul so faithful as to induce him to give up his life for it. It sustained and held the martyrs, so that while suffering in flames and tribulation they rejoiced in the blessed hope. It led Job to say, “I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth; and though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God; whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another.” Job xix, 25–27. It caused Moses to esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompence of reward. Heb. xi, 26.

“Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin [of unbelief] which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. xii, 1, 2. Now, my dear hearers, as Jesus has set all that same joy before us, saying to the faithful steward, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord,” Matt. xxv, 20, will we not also be faithful, and endure the cross, and despise the shame, and thus suffer with Jesus that we may reign with him? For here we have no continuing city, but we seek one to come. By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to his name.

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant make you perfect in every good work, to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

WHOLLY RESIGNED.

CHRIST leads us through no darker rooms Than he went through before. He that into God's kingdom comes Must enter by this door.

Come, Lord, when grace has made me meet Thy blessed face to see, For if thy work on earth be sweet, What will thy glory be?

Then shall I end my sad complaints, And weary, sinful days, And join with the triumphant saints That sing Jehovah's praise.

My knowledge of that life is small, The eye of faith is dim, But 'tis enough that Christ knows all, And I shall be with Him,

The Sermon.

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. iv, 2.

ON THE INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE.

IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDING TO PROPER NAMES.

I. The same persons or places sometimes have several names. Moses' father-in-law is called in different places Raguel, Reuel, and Jethro. Joshua is twice in the New Testament called Jesus: Acts vii, 45; Heb. iv, 8. Nahash is the same as Jesse [2 Sam. xvii, 25; 1 Chron. ii, 13–16], the father of David; hence we find that Joab and Amasa were near relatives to David, and to each other. We are thus better able to understand many circumstances in their history, and more fully to see the guilt of Joab in the assassination of Amasa. 2 Sam. xx, 10; Mark ii, 14. “And as he passed by he saw Levi,” &c.; this is the same person as Matthew. Thaddeus, Lebbeus, and Judas, are all different names for the apostle Jude. Horeb and Sinai are often spoken of indiscriminately, being different peaks of one and the same range of mountains. Deut. v, 2; Ex. xix, 18–23. Greece, and Grecia, was known by the name of Javan among the Hebrews. In our English Bibles, Javan is sometimes used, as in Isa. lxvi, 19; Eze. xxvii, 16, and sometimes the modern name, Greece, as in Zech. ix, 13; Dan. viii, 21; Joel iii, 6. Javan was the fourth son, Japheth, Gen. x, 2.

II. Different persons and places sometimes have the same name. Ephraim, in Gen. xlviii, 5, refers to a person; in Judges i, 29, to a tribe; in Jer. xxxi, 18, to the ten tribes of Israel; in John xi, 54, to a city. There were several Zachariahs: 1. Zachariah the fourth in descent from Jehu, who reigned just long enough to fulfill God's promise to Jehu, 2 Kings xv, 8, and x, 30. 2. Zachariah, a prophet basely murdered by Joash, who had been redeemed from destruction by his father. 2 Chron. xxiv, 20–22. 3. Zachariah the prophet, whose writings form a part of the Bible, and who was raised up to encourage the Jews to rebuild the temple. Ezra v, 1. 4. Zachariah, the father of John the Baptist, Luke i, 5, 59, 60.

There were several Herods: 1. Herod, infamous for his attempt to murder our blessed Lord in his infancy, but called in profane history, the great. Luke xiii, 15. 2. Herod Antipas, his son—inquisitive about the truth without loving it [Mark vi, 20; Luke xxiii, 8], crafty [xiii, 32], incestuous [Matt. xiv, 3], superstitious [Mark vi, 16], the murderer of John the Baptist [Matt. xiv, 1–10], and the mocker of our blessed Saviour in his last sufferings. Luke xxiii, 11. 3. Herod Agrippa, nephew of Herod Antipas, and grandson of Herod the great, the murderer of the apostle James, and eaten of worms for his pride. Acts xii, 1–3, 20–23.

So there are some names which appear to have been common to several successive kings of a country. Thus we read of Pharaoh, king of Egypt who reproved Abraham for his sin [Gen. xii, 18]; of Pharaoh who commended Joseph, and made him ruler over Egypt [Gen. xli, 38–45]; of Pharaoh who, in attempting the destruction of the people of God, was himself destroyed [Ex. xiv, 28]; of Pharaoh, whose daughter Solomon married [1 Kings iii, 1]; of Pharaoh Nechoh who slew Josiah [2 Kings xxiii, 29]; of Pharaoh Hophra (or Apries) his successor, denounced by Jeremiah [chap. xliv, 30], and Ezekiel [chap. xxiv, 2, &c.],

for his arrogance, impiety, and treachery. Pharaoh probably means father of the country, and was the name of all the kings of Egypt till the Babylonish captivity, and perhaps longer; as Ptolemy was their name after the time of Alexander.

Abimelech [Gen. xx, 2; xxvi, 8]; which means my father the king, was a name common to the kings of the Philistines. Benhadad was a name common to the Syrian kings. 1 Kings xv, 18; 2 Kings viii, 7; xiii, 3. Jabin was a common name of the kings of Canaan, as evidently the Jabin mentioned in the book of Joshua, xi, 1; xii, 19, was not the Jabin mentioned in the book of Judges iv, 2. Agag was the name of the king of the Amalekites [Num. xxiv, 7; 1 Sam. xv, 8], and Artaxerxes, of the Persian.

The Roman emperors all took the names Cæsar and Augustus. The Augustus mentioned in Luke ii, 1, was the second emperor of Rome. The Cæsar who was reigning when our Lord was crucified, was Tiberius. John xix, 15. The emperor to whom Paul appealed, and who is called both Augustus and Cæsar, was Nero. Acts xxv, 21. The Antioch mentioned in Acts xiii, 1, and the Antioch mentioned in 2 Tim. iii, 11, were different places: the one was in Syria, the other in Pisidia. There were two Bethlehems. Joshua xix, 15. There were at least two Cæsareas; viz., Cæsarea Philippi, Acts viii, 40, near the spring-head of Jordan, about thirty miles to the north of the sea of Galilee; and Cæsarea on the sea coast of Samaria, where Philip the evangelist lived [Acts xxi, 8]; where Peter converted Cornelius [x, 1]; where Paul defended himself against the Jews [xxiv, 23–33]; and where Herod Antipas was smitten by an angel [xxii, 23].—Mine Explored.

A PRESENT SAVIOUR.

Not many months ago, a vessel left one of our Eastern ports, bound for South America. Her trip opened prosperously. But one of the sudden storms peculiar to some portions of our coast occurring midway in her course, darkness surrounded and ruin threatened the voyagers. They lost their bearing, and were driven they knew not whither. As if to make more fearful their distress, their supply of water failed.

At length, in the darkness, and when their suffering seemed almost unbearable, a craft of some sort passed them and they gave signals of distress. From the passing vessel came back the answer:

“What is the matter?”

“We are suffering for want of water.”

“What do you say?” was the surprised question.

“We are suffering, dying, for want of water.”

“Dying for want of water! Why don’t you dip it up? Guess you’ve lost your bearing! Fresh water is all around you; dip it up.”

They had entered the Amazon, and, during their days of distress, the life-freighted water had lain in measureless abundance all around them.

Are not our eyes often “thus holden,” till we no longer discern our blessings? Is it not something so with you, blinded and sorrowing Christian? In the midst of life’s stormy sea you are “tossed by the waves,” struggling against contrary currents, and mourning that your Saviour is absent. The “hiding of his countenance,” you count your greatest loss. Doubting Christian, “our eternal Sun ever shineth.” Our Jesus is always near; and nearest often when you deem him most distant. Our faith is weak, and we hang a veil of doubt before our faces. Thus equipped, we grope our way through life. Is it strange that we discover not our Saviour?—S. S. Times.

CHRISTIAN LONGINGS.

By MARY E. GUILFORD

I long for a home in the earth made new; A home that is free from sin's dark gloom. I am eager to join the good and true, And dwell with them in immortal bloom.

I am weary of this world's ceaseless strife; Weary of sorrow, and wan disease; And I long to pluck from the tree of life, Its precious fruits, and its healing leaves.

Oh! I long to sip from that fountain pure, Whose waters flow from the throne of God; And to stand on the sea of glass secure, With holy saints, the redeemed of the Lord.

Yes, I long to behold that glorious throng, With their robes, their palms, and harps of gold, And join with them in the glad new song— That song of joy by seers foretold.

And that glorious city—sublimely fair— With its gates of pearl, and streets of gold, How I long its sweet rest with saints to share, In its mansions of beauty and wealth untold.

And my Saviour, too, the chief of all, I long to behold in glory bright; To hear his sweet voice the slumberers call From their cold, dark beds, to immortal light.

Oh! glorious morn! transcendently fair! When earth shall be decked in Eden bloom; No sorrow, no sighing shall e'er be there, Not a trace of sin, nor a shade of gloom.

Patiently watch, O my soul, and wait; Ere long the morning will brightly dawn, Which shall usher in that glorious state, For which thou hast waited and prayed so long.

Meanwhile buy the gold that's tried in the fire; And the eye-salve pure that thou may'st see; For all that is holy and high aspire; Stand fast in the faith that has made thee free.

Then, in that day, when the Lord shall come, And that long-made promise be verified, To take his jewels to their heavenly home, Thy longing soul shall be satisfied.

MARY E. GUILFORD.

Castalia, Ohio.

DESIRING THE LORD'S COMING.

'Twas the character of believers of the Old Testament: they waited for the consolation of Israel. 'Tis the description of the saints in the New: they love the appearance of Christ. If they longed for his coming in the flesh, though it was attended with all the circumstances of meanness and dishonor, the effects of our sins, with what ardent and impatient desires should we hasten his coming in glory, “when he shall appear the second time to them that look for him, without sin unto salvation!” (Heb. ix, 28.) Then he will put an end to all the disorders of the world, and begin the glorious state wherein holiness and righteousness shall be crowned, and reign forever. The Christian church joins in that ardent address to our Saviour—“Oh that thou wouldst rend the heavens, that thou wouldst come down, that the mountains may flow down at thy presence! As when the melting fire burneth, the fire causeth the waters to boil; to make thy name known to thine adversaries, that the nations may tremble at thy presence.” (Isa. xliv, 1, 2.) Although the beauty and frame of this visible world shall be destroyed, yet that dreadful day shall be joyful to the saints. For then all the preparations of infinite wisdom and goodness; the things that eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, shall be the everlasting portion of those who love God. Come, Lord Jesus.—Bates' Harmony of the Divine Attributes.

THE GOOD TIME COMING.

By J. C. Ryle

I ACCEPT the prediction that “there is a great improvement and development of human nature yet to take place.” I accept it with all my heart. But how and when shall it be brought about? Not by any thing short of the appearing of the kingdom of Christ. Then, and then only, shall there be universal justice, universal knowledge, and universal peace.

I accept the common phrase of many, “There is a good time coming.” I accept it with all my heart. I do verily believe there shall one day be no more poverty—no more ignorance,—no more grinding competition,—no more covetousness. But when shall that good time come? Never! never, till the return of Jesus Christ at his second advent. And for whom shall that time be good? For none but those who know and love the Lord.

I accept the common phrase, “There is a man coming who will set all right that is now wrong. We wait for the coming man.” I accept it with all my heart. I do look for one who shall unravel the tangled skein of this world’s affairs, and put every thing in its right place. But who is the great physician for an old, diseased, and worn out world? It is the man Jesus Christ, who is yet to return.

Oh! reader, let us realize this point. There is before us all a great change. Surely, when a man has notice to quit his present dwelling-place, he ought to make sure that he has before him another home.—J. C. Ryle, Rector of Christ’s Church, Oxford, Eng.

THE BLOOD OF CHRIST.

There are two extremes; both of which are to be avoided. One is—that we are so amiable and moral that we need no Saviour. The other is—that our sins are so numerous and so aggravated, that we are thrown beyond the reach of pardon. The first of these extremes is most common, and yet the latter is not infrequent. Often, under the stings of conscience and the power of the law and the spirit of God, are persons heard in agony to exclaim, Others may be saved, but not we; our sins are of too deep a dye for even the blood of Christ to wash out. To the cases of such despairing ones, the following, from Bogatsky’s Golden Treasury, is well adapted:

There is a story of how the devil appeared to a dying man, and showed him a parchment roll, which was very long, wherein were written on every side the sins of the poor, sick man, which were many in number. There were also written the idle words he had spoken in his life, together with the false words, the unchaste words, and angry words; afterward came his vain and ungodly words, and lastly, his actions, digested according to the commandments. Whereupon Satan said: See here, behold thy virtues; see here what thy examination must be. Whereupon the poor sinner answered: “It is true, but thou hast not set down all, for thou shouldst have added, and set down here below, ‘The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins;’ and this also should not have been forgotten, that ‘whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.’” Whereupon the Devil vanished. Thus, if the Devil should muster up our sins, and set them in order before us, let but Christ be named in a faithful way, and he will give back, and fly away with all speed.

“My sins are great, I do confess, And of a scarlet dye; But Jesus’ blood can wash me clean, As God does testify.”

—A young Irish girl, who was rendering testimony against an individual in a court of law, said: “I am sure he never made his mother smile.” There is a comprehensiveness and intensity of expression in this simple sentence to which we have scarcely, if ever, seen a parallel. Such a history of hard-heartedness and depravity was surely never compressed into eight syllables before! It was true eloquence.

To love one that is great is almost to be great one's self.

In most of our modern churches, especially the more fashionable ones, about three-fourths of the members are honorary members. They seem to have no voice in any of the proceedings. They don’t attend prayer-meeting or Sabbath School, and feel under no obligations to be present at any religious service, except on fair days, and then as mere spectators. They don’t add life, or infuse love into the church—they are the honorary members. They are passengers in the Gospel ship; others may do crew-work, and watch for breakers, and guide the vessel, and ply the machinery. These honorary members bear no burdens, put forth no strength. Their names are on the register. They occupy the best rooms, and expect extra attentions, because they are honorary members. Ten thousand such names and presences in a church are forceless in the work of the evangelization of the world. The church is made weak by its over-polite attentions to the tastes and comforts of its honorary members.

Notes on Genesis.

Chap. xxi, 8. And the child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

Weaned.] At three years old probably. See Mac. vii.

Feast.] In Persia, the day a male child is weaned, they carry him to the mosque, and after having performed certain acts of devotion, return home, then collecting their friends and relations, they give a feast, of which they make the child partake.—Morier.

Verse 31. Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.

The verb rendered ‘to swear’ is derived from the word translated seven; probably with reference to the number of the sacrifices frequently offered on these solemn occasions.—Scott.

Taylor inclines to the opinion, that Beer-sheba means the well of seven, from the circumstances related by Bruce of a similar oath, in which a Sheikh of the shepherds of Suakem, in Nubia, after binding himself and tribe, to the death of the last male child among them, joining hands (Prov. xi, 21.) and praying, concludes by sending seven sheep as a present. See Bruce’s Travels.—Rob. Calm.

Chap. xxii, 3. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him.

The ready obedience exhibited by the patriarch to this call, evinces beyond question that he must have been perfectly satisfied of its emanating from God. The law of parental duty, the instincts of parental feeling, would inevitably have prevailed over a dubious revelation; and though we may be unable to determine how he could have been thus assured, yet of the fact there can be no doubt. His conduct was such as might have been expected under the unwavering conviction by which it was prompted. The command came during the night, and it was obeyed ‘early in the morning.’ There was no doubtful question of its reality or its obligation. There was no culpable communing with flesh and blood. Even Sarah seems not to have been informed of it, lest her affections should embarrass or overpower his faith. ‘That which he must do, he will do: he that hath learned not to regard the life of his son, had learned not to regard the sorrow of his wife.’ Bp. Hall.

¶ Saddled his ass. The saddles of that ancient period were doubtless a far more simple contrivance than those of modern times. Goguet remarks in his Origin of Laws that ‘no nation of antiquity knew the use of either saddles or stirrups;’ and even in our times Hasselquist, when at Alexandria, says, ‘I procured an equipage which I had never used before; it was an ass with an Arabian saddle, which consisted only of a cushion on which I could sit, and a handsome bridle.’ But even the cushion seems an improvement upon the ancient Eastern saddles, which were probably nothing more than a kind of rug or mat of straw girded to the beast.

Verse 4. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

On the third day. It was not quite two days’ journey from Beersheba to Moriah, and though it is no doubt true that a loaded ass moves slowly, it is somewhat difficult to conceive why so long a time should have been consumed in traveling the distance of only 42 miles. The fact may be accounted for by supposing that, although he rose early in the morning, and went about the necessary preparations, yet he did not find himself in readiness actually to set forth till the middle of the day. This would leave but half a day’s journey for the first day. The second day might have been wholly occupied, and early on the third he may have reached the destined spot. But whatever may be thought of this, certain it is that the trial must have been rendered more aggravating to Abraham by the delay, and the distance which he had to travel. Had the oracle demanded an instant sacrifice, the struggle, though severe, would have been short and comparatively easy. But in three days’ journey, leisure was afforded for reflection; the powerful pleadings of nature would make themselves heard; parental affection had time to revive; and the sight, the society, the conversation of Isaac, could not but combine to shake the steadfastness of his faith, and urge him to return. But whatever may be the promptings of nature, faith such as Abraham’s, knew not what it is to relent. With steady step and unwavering purpose he advances to the fatal spot.

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