Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 22, 1883
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
Deceitfulness of Riches.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
SOME who profess to believe the truth are lacking in discernment, and fail to appreciate moral worth. Persons who boast much of their fidelity to the cause, and talk as though they think they know all that is worth knowing, are not humble in heart. They may have property, and this is sufficient to give them influence with some, but it will not raise them one jot in favor with God. Money has power and sways a mighty influence. Excellence of character and moral worth are often overlooked, if possessed by the poor man. But what does God care for money? for property? The cattle upon a thousand hills are his. The world and all that is therein are his. The inhabitants of the earth are as grasshoppers before him. Men and property are but as the small dust of the balance. He is no respecter of persons.
Men of property often look upon their wealth and say, "By my wisdom have I gotten me this wealth." But who gave them power to get wealth? God has bestowed upon them the ability which they possess, but instead of giving him the glory they take it to themselves. He will prove them and try them, and will bring their glorying to the dust; he will remove their strength, and scatter their possessions. Instead of a blessing, they will realize a curse. An act of wrong or oppression, a deviation from the right way, should no sooner be tolerated in a man who possesses property than in a man who has none. All the riches that the most wealthy ever possessed are not of sufficient value to cover the smallest sin before God; they will not be accepted as a ransom for transgression. Repentance, true humility, a broken heart, and a contrite spirit, alone will be accepted of God. And no man can have true humility before God unless the same is exemplified before others. Nothing less than repentance, confession, and forsaking of sin is acceptable to God.
Many rich men have obtained their wealth by close deal, by advantaging themselves and disadvantaging their poorer fellow-men, or their brethren; and these very men glory in their shrewdness and keenness in a bargain. But the curse of God will rest upon every dollar thus obtained, and upon the increase of it on their hands. Consider the force of our Saviour's words, "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God." Those who possess the ability to acquire property need to be constantly on the watch, or they will turn their acquisitiveness to bad account. Thus many fall into temptation, overreach, receive more for a than it is worth, and sacrifice the generous, benevolent, noble principles of their manhood for sordid gain.
Many who profess to be followers of Christ, so love the world and the things that are in the world that they have been corrupted by its spirit and influence; the divine has disappeared from their characters, and the Satanic has crept in, transforming them to serve the purposes of Satan, to be instruments of unrighteousness. Then in contrast with these men are the industrious, honest poor men, who stand ready to help those who need help, who would rather suffer themselves to be disadvantaged by their wealthy brethren than to manifest so close and acquisitive a spirit as they manifest; men who esteem a clear conscience and right, even in little things, of greater value than riches. They are so ready to help others, so willing to do all the good in their power, that they do not amass wealth; their earthly possessions do not increase. If there is a benevolent object to call forth means or labor, they are the first to be interested in and respond to it and frequently do far beyond their real ability, and thus deny themselves some needed good, to carry out their benevolent purposes.
Because these men can boast of but little earthly treasure, they may be looked upon as deficient in ability, in judgment, and in wisdom. They may be counted of no special worth, and their influence may not be esteemed by men; yet how does God regard these poor wise men? They are regarded precious in his sight, and although not increasing their treasure upon earth, they are laying up for themselves an incorruptible treasure in the heavens, and in doing this they manifest a wisdom as far superior to that of the wise, calculating, acquisitive professed Christian, as the divine and Godlike is superior to the earthly, carnal, and Satanic. It is moral worth that God values. A Christian character unblotted with avarice, possessing quietness, meekness, and humility, is more precious in his sight than the most fine gold, even the golden wedge of Ophir.
Wealthy men are to be tested more closely than they ever yet have been. If they stand the test and overcome the blemishes upon their character, and as faithful stewards of Christ, render to God the things that are his, it will be said to them, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."
Mark the parable of the unjust steward: "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations. He that is faithful in that which is least, is faithful also in much; and he that is unjust in the least, is unjust also in much. If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"
If men fail to render to God that which he has lent them to use to his glory, and thus rob him they will make an entire failure. He has lent them means which they can improve upon by losing no opportunity to do good, and thus they may be constantly laying up treasure in Heaven. But if, like the man who had one talent, they hide it, fearing that God will get that which their talent gains, they will not only lose the increase which will finally be awarded the faithful steward, but also the principal which God gave them to work upon. Because they have robbed God, they will not have laid up treasure in Heaven, and they lose their earthly treasure also. They have no habitation on earth, and no Friend in Heaven to receive them into the everlasting habitation of the righteous.134
Christ declares, "No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon"—cannot serve God and your riches too. "The Pharisees also who were covetous, heard all these things, and they derided him." Mark the words of Christ to them: "Ye are they who justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts; for that which is highly esteemed among men [which is riches acquired by oppression, by deception, by overreaching, by fraud, or in any other dishonest manner] is abomination in the sight of God." Then Christ presents the two characters, the rich man who was clothed with purple and fine linen, and who fared sumptuously every day, and Lazarus, who was in abject poverty, and loathsome to the sight, and who begged the few crumbs which the rich man despised. Our Saviour shows his estimate of the two. Although Lazarus was in so deplorable and mean a condition, he had true faith, true moral worth, which God saw, and which he considered of so great value that he took this poor, despised sufferer, and placed him in the most exalted position, while the honored and wealthy ease-loving rich man was thrust out from the presence of God, and plunged into misery and woe unutterable. God did not value the riches of this wealthy man, because he had not true moral worth. His character was worthless. His riches did not recommend him to God, nor have any influence to secure his favor.
By this parable Christ would teach his disciples not to judge or value men by their wealth, or by the honors which they received of others. Such was the course pursued by the Pharisees, who, while possessing both riches and worldly honor, were valueless in the sight of God; and more than this, were despised and rejected of him,—cast out from his sight as disgusting to him because there was no moral worth or soundness in them. They were corrupt, sinful, and abominable in his sight. The poor man, despised by his fellow-mortals, and disgusting to their sight, was valuable in the sight of God because he possessed the moral soundness and worth, thus qualifying him to be introduced into the society of refined, holy angels, and to be an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ.
In Paul's charge to Timothy he warns him of a class who will not consent to wholesome words, and who place a wrong estimate on riches. He says: "If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness. From such withdraw thyself. But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil, which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
Paul in this letter to Timothy would impress upon his mind the necessity of giving such instruction as should remove the deception which so easily steals upon the rich, that because of their riches they are superior to those who are in poverty; that because of their ability to acquire they are superior in wisdom and judgment—in short, that gain is godliness. Here is a fearful deception. How few heed the charge which Paul commissioned Timothy to make to the rich! How many flatter themselves that their acquisitiveness is godliness! Paul declares, "Godliness with contentment is great gain." Although rich persons may devote their whole lives to the one object of getting riches, yet as they brought nothing into the world, they can carry nothing out. They must die and leave that which cost them so much labor to obtain. They staked their all, their eternal interest, to obtain this property, and have lost both worlds.
Paul shows what risks men will run to become rich. But many are determined to be rich; this is their study; and in their zeal eternal considerations are overlooked. They are blinded by Satan, and make themselves believe that it is for good purposes they desire this gain; they strain their consciences, deceive themselves, and are constantly coveting riches. Such have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. They have sacrificed their noble, elevated principles, given up their faith for riches, and if not disappointed in their object, they are disappointed in the happiness which they supposed riches would bring. They are entangled, perplexed with care; they have made themselves slaves to their avarice, and compelled their families to endure the same slavery, and the advantages they reap are "many sorrows." "Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy."
WHEN HE COMETH.
By Belle Rose Ballard
BY MRS. BELLE ROSE BALLARD.
CAN it be those eyes, so often
Filled with sad repentant tears,
Shall behold Him in his glory,
When the Judge of earth appears?
Shall they view the wondrous brightness
Shining from that heavenly face?
Shall they see the old earth wither,
Having no more time or place?
Every eye shall see Him coming;
Every ear shall hear the sound
Of the awful trumpet thunder;
Earth and heaven shall both resound!
Dread and solemn will the thunder
Of that last loud trumpet be!
Fierce the lightning of His anger!
Where, O Christ, can sinners flee?
Rocks and mountains, shelter! shelter!
Hide transgressors in that hour!
Rocks and hills are unavailing
In the presence of His power.
Oh, I long for Thy whole armor,
Helmet, shining sword, and shield,
And the faith which never wavers
On the fiercest battle-field.
Mighty hosts of doubt and darkness
Ever meet me on my way.
Oh, for light among the shadows!
Oh, to dwell in perfect day!
All too soon may come the summons:
Mortal, time for thee must cease!
Oh, to feel that to my spirit
That last summons shall bring peace!
Frazier, Cal.
Consequences of King David's Crime.
THE following article is from Blunt's "Coincidences," or the harmony of the Scriptures as shown by incidental mentionings. It is a complete vindication of the prophecy of Nathan to David, showing that all his troubles were the result of his sin; and thus it furnishes an answer to the cavils of infidels on that subject:—
That the man after God's own heart should have so fallen from his high estate, as to become the adulterer and the assassin, has been ever urged with great effect by unbelievers; and this very consequence of David's sin was foreseen and foretold by Nathan the prophet, when he approached the king, bearing with him the rebuke of God on his tongue, and saying, "By this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of God to blaspheme." Such has indeed been its*effect from the day when it was first done unto this day, and such probably will its effect continue to be unto the end of time.
David's transgression, committed almost three thousand years ago, sheds, in some sort, an evil influence on the cause of David's God even now. So wide-wasting is the mischief which flows from the lapse of a righteous man; so great the darkness becomes, when the light that is amongst us is darkness! But was David the man after God's own heart here? It were blasphemy to suppose it. That the sin of David was fulfilling some righteous judgment of God against Uriah and his house, I doubt not—for God often makes his enemies his instruments, and without sanctifying the means, strikes out of them good. Still a sin it was, great and grievous, offensive to that God to whom the blood of Uriah cried from the ground. And this the Almighty proclaimed even more loudly perhaps by suffering David to live, than if, in the sudden burst of his instant displeasure, he had slain him. For, at the period when the king of Israel fell under this sad temptation, he was at the very height of his glory and his strength. The kingdom of Israel had never so flourished before; it was the first of the nations. He had thoroughly subdued the Philistines, that mighty people, who in his youth had compelled all the Israelites to come down to their quarters, even to sharpen their mattocks, so rigid was the exercise of their rule. He had smitten the Moabites, on the other side Jordan, once themselves the oppressors of Israel, making them tributaries. He had subdued the Edomites, a race that delighted in war; and had stationed his troops throughout all their territories.
He had possessed himself of the independent kingdom of the Syrians and garrisoned Damascus, their capital. He had extended his frontier eastward to the Euphrates (2 Sam. 8), though never perhaps beyond it (See Ezra 4:20); and he was on the point of reducing the Ammonites, whose city, Rabbah, his generals were besieging; and thus, the whole of the promised land, with the exception of the small State of Tyre, which the Israelites never appear to have conquered, was now his own. Prosperity, perhaps, had blinded his eyes, and hardened his heart. The treasures which he had amassed, and the ease which he had fought for and won, had made him luxurious; for now it was, that the once innocent son of Jesse the Bethlehemite,—he who had been taken from the sheep-folds because an excellent spirit was in him, and who had hitherto prospered in all that he had set his hand unto,—it was now that this man was tempted and fell. And now mark the remainder of his days—God eventually forgave him, for he repented him (as his penitential psalms still most affectingly attest), in the bitterness and anguish of his soul, but God dried up all the sources of his earthly blessings thenceforward forever. With this sin the sorrow of his life began, and the curse which the prophet denounced against him, sat heavy on his spirit to the last; a curse—and I beg attention to this—which has a peculiar reference to the nature of his crime; as though upon this offense all his future miseries and misfortunes were to turn; as though he was only spared from the avenger's violent hand to be made a spectacle of righteous suffering to the world. He had committed murder by the edge of the sword, and therefore the sword was never to depart from his house. He had despised the commandment of the Lord (so Nathan expressly says), and taken the wife of another to be his wife; therefore were his own wives to be taken from him, and given to his neighbor in turn. The complexion, therefore, of his remaining years, was set by this one fatal deed of darkness (let none think or say that it was lightly regarded by the Almighty), and having become the man of blood, of blood he was to drink deep; and having become the man of lust, by that same baneful passion in others was he himself to be scourged forever. Now the manner in which these tremendous threats are fulfilled is very remarkable; for it is done by way of natural consequence of the sin itself; a dispensation which I have not seen developed as it deserves to be, though the facts of the history furnish very striking materials for the purpose. And herein lies the coincidence, to which the remarks I have hitherto been making are a needful prologue.
By the rebellion of Absalom it was that these menaces of the Almighty Judge of all the earth were accomplished with a fearful fidelity.
Absalom was able to draw after him the hearts of all the people as one man. And what was it that armed him with this moral strength? What was it that gave him the means of unseating his father in the affections of a loyal people? The king whom they had so greatly loved—who had raised the name of Israel to a pitch of glory never attained unto before—whose praises had been sung by the mothers and maidens of Israel, as the champion to whom none other was like? How could he steal away the hearts of the people from such a man, with so little effort, and apparently with so little reason? I believe that this very sin of David was made the engine by which his throne was shaken; for I observe that the chief instrument in the conspiracy was Ahithophel. No sooner was Absalom determined upon his daring deed, than he looks to Ahithophel for help. He appears, for some reason or other not mentioned, to have quite reckoned upon him as well-affected to his cause, as ready to join him in it heart and hand; and he did not find himself mistaken. "Absalom," I read (2 Sam. 15:12), "sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David's counselor, from his city, even from Giloh, while he offered sacrifices. And the conspiracy [it is forthwith added, as though Ahithophel was a host in himself] was strong; for the people increased continually with Absalom." David, upon this, takes alarm, and makes it the subject of his earnest prayer to God, that "he would turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness."
Nor is this to be wondered at, when we are told in another place that "the counsel of Ahithophel, which he counseled in those days, was as if a man had inquired at the oracle of God; so was all the counsel of Ahithophel, both with David and with Absalom." 2 Sam. 16:23. He therefore was the sinews of Absalom's cause. Of his character, and the influence which he possessed over the people, Absalom availed himself, both to sink the spirits of David's party, and to inspire his own with confidence, for all men counted Ahithophel to be as a prophet. But independently of the weight of his public reputation, it is probable that certain private wrongs of his own (of which I have now to speak), at once prepared him for accepting Absalom's rebellious overtures with alacrity, and caused him to find still greater favor in the eyes of the people, as being an injured man, whom it was fit that they should avenge of his adversary. For in the twenty-third chapter of the second book of Samuel, I find in the catalogue of David's guardsmen, thirty-seven in number, the name of "Eliam the son of Ahithophel the Gilonite." Verse 34. The epithet of Gilonite sufficiently identifies this Ahithophel with the conspirator of the same name. One, therefore, of the thirty-seven officers about David's person, was a son of the future conspirator against his throne. But, in this same catalogue, I also meet with the name of Uriah the Hittite. Verse 39. Eliam, therefore, and Uriah must have been thrown much together, being both of the same rank, and being each one of the thirty-seven officers of the king's guard. Now, from the eleventh chapter of the second book of Samuel, I learn that Uriah the Hittite had for his wife Bath-sheba, the daughter of one Eliam. Verse 3. I look upon it, therefore, to be so probable, as almost to amount to certainty, that this was the same Eliam as before, and that Uriah (as was very natural considering the necessary intercourse of the parties) had married the daughter of his brother officer, and accordingly, the granddaughter of Ahithophel. I135feel that I now have the key to the conduct of this leading conspirator; the sage and prudent friend of David, converted, by some means or other, into his deadly foe—for I now perceive, that when David murdered Uriah, he murdered Ahithophel's grandson by marriage, and when he corrupted Bath-sheba, he corrupted his granddaughter by blood. Well then, after this disaster and dishonor of his house, might revenge rankle in the heart of Ahithophel! Well might Absalom know that nothing but a fit opportunity was wanted by him, that he might give it vent, and spend his treasured wrath upon the head of David his wrong-doer! Well might he approach him with confidence, and impart to him his treason, as a man who would welcome the news, and be his present and powerful fellow-worker! Well might the people who, upon an appeal like this, seldom fail to follow the dictates of their better feelings, and to stand manfully by the injured, find their allegiance to a throne defiled with adultery and blood, relaxed, and their loyalty transferred to the rebel's side! And the terms in which Shimei reproaches the king, when he follows after him to Bahurim, casting stones at him, not improbably as expressive of the legal punishment of the adulterer, "Come out, come out, thou bloody man, thou man of Belial" (2 Sam. 16:7); and the meekness moreover with which David bows to the reproach, accepting it as a merited chastisement from God. "So let him curse, because the Lord hath said unto him, Curse David" (verse 20), are minute incidents which testify to the same fact—to the popular voice now lifted up against David, and to the merited cause thereof. Well might his heart sink within him, when he heard that his ancient counselor had joined the ranks of his enemies, and when he knew but too well what reason he had given him for turning his arms against himself in that unmitigated and inextinguishable thirst for vengeance which is sweet, however utterly unjustifiable, to all men so deeply injured, and sweetest of all to the children of the East.
And in the very first word of exhortation which Ahithophel suggests to Absalom, I detect, or think I detect, the wounded spirit of the man seizing the earliest moment for inflicting a punishment upon his enemy, of a kind that should not only be bitter, but appropriate,—the eye for the eye; and when Absalom said, "Give counsel among you what we shall do," and Ahithophel answered, "Go in unto thy father's concubines which he hath left to keep the house" (2 Sam. 16:21), he was not only moved by the desire that the rebellious son should stand fairly committed to his rebellion by an unpardonable outrage against the majesty of an Eastern monarch, but by the desire also to make David taste the bitterness of that cup which he had caused others to drink, and to receive the very measure which he had himself meted withal. And so it came to pass, that Absalom followed his counsel, and they spread for him the incestuous tent, we read, on the top of the house, in the sight of all Israel (2 Sam. 16:22), on that very roof, it should seem, on which David at even-tide had walked, when he conceived this his great sin, upon which his life was to turn as upon a hinge (2 Sam. 11:2); and so again it came to pass, and under circumstances of local identity and exposure which wear the aspect of strictly judicial reprisals, that that which he had done secretly (his abduction of another man's wife), God did for him, and more also, as he said he would, before all Israel, and before the sun. 2 Sam. 12:12.
Thus, having once discovered by the apposition of many passages, that a relation subsisted between Ahithophel and Uriah, a fact which the sacred historian is so far from dwelling upon that he barely supplies us with the means to establish it at all, we see in the circumstances of the conspiracy, the natural recoil of David's sin; and in his punishment, retributive as it is, so strictly retributive, that it must have stricken his conscience as a judgment, even had there been no warning voice concerning it, the accomplishment by means the most easy and unconstrained, of all that Nathan had uttered, to the syllable.
Do the Rich Have the Gospel?
This is a startling question recently put by Rev. Dr. Haygood, one of the most clear-headed men in the Methodist Church, South. It has been generally thought that if there was a lack of the gospel, and of the influencing spirit of the gospel anywhere, it was especially among the poor. But not long since he saw a man worth $100,000 subscribe $10 to the missionary cause, and the question came up very naturally as to whether that man had ever heard the gospel. If so, the preaching, in his case at least, had been to little purpose. "How St. Paul," he exclaims, "would preach the gospel to the rich of our times! With what warnings, and rebukes, and entreaties, and encouragements—that they might save their own souls and glorify the Lord that redeemed them." It is one thing to hear the gospel, and it is quite another thing to catch its sublime, self-sacrificing spirit; and it is only the latter, be they poor or rich, who really have the gospel.—Christian at Work.
How to Answer Evil Reports
If evil is said of thee, and it is true, correct it; if it be a lie, laugh at it.
"Who'll Wake Me?"
By Bene-Berak
A LITTLE girl in San Francisco was recently run over by a street car. When removed, it was found that one of her limbs was nearly severed from the body, besides other serious injuries. She was carried to the hospital, and the disjointed member taken off. The little girl bore the operation remarkably well. As there appeared to be little chance for her recovery, the surgeons concluded to let the other limb, also badly damaged, remain. The mother was with the child immediately, and did for her all that a mother could do. The little one was under the influence of anodynes most of the time, and of course slept a great deal. The day following the accident, as she was dropping off, she exclaimed, "I'm going to sleep." Then noticing the temporary absence of her mother, she added, "but who'll wake me." It turned out to be her last sleep—a sleep that will finally lock in its embrace all the living.
The query of this little child was a natural one. On a broad sense, it is the one great question of life. Upon the return of the dawn, we go about our daily duties and pleasures until it is time to retire. We shut our eyes to sleep with no anxiety but what they will open when we have had the needed rest. This is confidence, we have tried the experiment, and it has never failed; therefore we believe when resigning ourselves to sleep that we shall wake again. But at the close of life's fitful fever, when we fear that the sleep of death may be stealing over us, we want to know whether we shall ever awake, who it is that will wake us, and where we will be, and what will be our condition when we awake. Thousands have reached that point in their history, when they would give all the world, if they had it to give, to have these queries satisfactorily answered.
This is purely a matter of faith. None of us have had any ocular demonstration that there is another world. From all we can see, our journey leads directly to the grave, and the life that we now live apparently ends there. With some of us the distance to the grave is not long. With all, it becomes shorter with every sun. A man's days are threescore years and ten, but the average is not half that. Life is often said to be a mystery, and so it is. The only certainties about it are that it has a beginning and an end. We know that we exist, and we know that we shall cease to exist. We have made graves for others, and we often visit them in kind remembrance of the one gone before. Where our grave will be, we know not, but the place and date of occupation are fixed, and every beat of the pulse is a step to the locality and hour.
"Who'll wake me?" We can descend into the dark and cold ground with resignation, if we are assured that some one will wake us. Everybody has a trace of this faith—life would be intolerable if we were not permitted to entertain it. Better that the belief should be a delusion, than that it should not exist. It helps to soften many of the rugged places of this life to believe that a better one awaits us. It eases many a pain, dries many a tear, lightens many a burden, illumines many a dark passage, to know that there is a world where there are no pains, "or tears," or burdens. Take away that belief, and unselfish motives and heroic deeds vanish. We are worse than the beasts that perish. For my part, I must believe that the fabric of human life was constructed for some nobler end than can be possibly wrought out in the brief period of existence between the cradle and the grave. Any other view implies a great waste of wisdom, energy, and material. The little girl's query has been answered: We shall all awake from our last sleep, "some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt." How will you awake?—Bene-Berak.
Simple Faith and Good Christians
By Michel de Montaigne
Of simple understandings, little inquisitive, and little instructed, are made good Christians, who by reverence and obedience implicitly believe, and are constant in their belief.—Montaigne.
The Rough Path Is Safest
It is upon smooth ice we slip; the rough path is safest for the feet.
The Golden Rule.
By W. N. Glenn
BY W. N. GLENN.
It is quite common for those who reject the Bible and Christianity to claim for their religion the "Golden Rule," generally condensed into "Do as you would be done by." The infidel, the atheist, and even the rum-seller will parade this doctrine as his creed, with the boastful intimation that he possesses something far superior to Bible religion, and to which Christianity is antagonistic. And many of these pretenders apparently imagine that they are indebted to Plato, or Aristotle, or Paine, or Darwin, or some other anti-Christian "free-thinker" for this creed.
They "err, not knowing the Scriptures," and that Jesus himself gave this instruction to the world: "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them." Matt. 7:12. Also, in Luke 10:27, his words are recorded thus: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thy self." And by the same Spirit, this doctrine had been promulgated centuries before, as recorded in Leviticus 19:18, and various other Old Testament scriptures.
And there is another class, professing to be Christians, who make flippant use of this text as a motto, knowing whence the sentiment emanated. They argue that the law of ten commandments was abolished at the cross, and claim immunity from obeying it, while avowing the golden rule of "do as you would be done by" as their rule of belief. They apparently overlook the fact that Jesus gave as the reason for this injunction, "For this is the law and the prophets."
It will not do to say that he meant this rule was given as a substitute for the old moral code of ten commandments, for he spoke in the present tense, at a time when the decalogue was in full force as acknowledged by all classes of Bible believers. The phrase "and the prophets" contravenes such a construction, for no one could say this golden rule was to take the place of the prophets, or prophecies. It is evident by this that Jesus virtually said, this is the teaching of the law and the prophets. A simple reading of the commandments will clearly show that this principle, enunciated by the Saviour in his model sermon on the mount, is the most prominent feature. In fact, considering this unequivocal indorsement by the Lord Jesus, if there be any rule of action entitled to the appellation, "The Golden Rule," it surely is found in the law that God spake with his own voice, and wrote on tables of stone.
TWO PICTURES
AN old farm-house, with meadows wide,
And sweet with clover on each side;
A bright-eyed boy who looks from out
The door, with woodbine wreathed about,
And wishes his one thought all day—
"Oh! if I could but fly away
From this dull spot, the world to see,
How happy, happy, happy,
How happy I should be!"
Amid the city's constant din,
A man who 'round the world has been,
And, 'mid the tumult and the throng,
Is thinking, thinking all day long—
"Oh! could I only tread once more
The field path to the farm-house door,
The old green meadow could I see,
How happy, happy, happy,
How happy I should be!"
—Christian at Work.
Mormonism in Idaho.
The black, baleful shadow of mormonism is steadily spreading over Idaho. In place of one Mormon representative in the Territorial Legislature, six years ago, there are now ten, if we should not say fifteen or twenty, as one of the ten is a bishop. Mormons are a third of the 65,000 population. All act as promptly at the beck of the head of the church at Salt Lake, as an orchestra at the beat of the leader's wand. Priests and teachers, circulating incessantly among them, direct for whom to vote, with whom to trade. A Gentile or "apostate merchant is treated to a dose of bankruptcy for his spiritual health. Proselyting goes on apace. Youth of both sexes are first "sealed" to the church and then taught to scorn and scout the laws of the United States. At a late ceremony in the Endowment House the national flag was trodden and spit upon.—The Advance.
Revenue Versus Moral Degradation
ONE of the Madagascar ambassadors now in Europe, speaking on the subject of temperance, said, "We would rather have a small exchequer than a degraded people." American legislators say, "Let us have a large revenue, even at the expense of making beasts of the youth of our land," forgetting that when the people become degraded, the revenue must necessarily diminish.
Love and Humility
"BE loving, and you will never want for love; be humble, and you will never want for guiding."