A MOMENT'S thought will show any one the folly of supposing that the law may be kept in spirit and not in letter. Can a man worship gods of gold, or stone, or brass, and yet have a proper regard for the God that made heaven and earth? Can a man blaspheme the name of God, and at the same time have perfect love and reverence in his heart? Is it possible to wantonly violate the letter of the sixth commandment, by taking human life, and yet have no trace of enmity, but only perfect love in the heart? Will a man deliberately and persistently take the goods of others, if he has no covetous desires in his heart? And does not everybody know that the committing of adultery is only the outward manifestation of the lust that burns within? There can be but one answer to these questions. Even so there can be no spiritual obedience without obedience to the letter as well.
The statement of the wise man, that to keep the commandments is the whole duty of man, and of Christ, that whosoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the kingdom of Heaven, prepares us for the truth stated by the apostle, in Rom. 2:13:—
“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”
Since to keep the commandments of God is the whole duty of man, of course the one who keeps the law will be justified; a man can never be justly condemned, when he does his whole duty. We will not, at this time, inquire just how comprehensive the term “the doers of the law” is, nor whether or not there are any such. For the present we shall be content with the truth, which allows of no exception, namely, that “the doers of the law shall be justified.”
In Rom. 6:23 we read that “the wages of sin is death.” But if a man never sins, he will never receive the wages therefor, and consequently the doer of the law will live. And this, again, is no more than we find plainly stated in Rom. 10:5: “For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.” The man whom the law justifies—the one who is really a doer of all its requirements—will certainly live. Now it is a self-evident fact that when God made a perfect, holy, and just law, he designed that all his subjects should obey it. And since the law, when it is kept, gives life, we can see the force of the apostle's statement, that the law “was ordained to life.” Rom. 7:10. As we shall hereafter see more fully, the law was given that man might ever keep in harmony with God's will, in which condition he must necessarily have life.
There is just one more point which we wish to bring out concerning the nature of the law. Let the reader mark it closely; for in the future consideration of this subject it will often be referred to, as it really covers the whole ground; upon it everything else depends. David says (Ps. 119:172), “My tongue shall speak of thy word; for all thy commandments are righteousness.” This is really nothing more than is brought out in Ps. 19:7, and other texts; but it leads to another text which materially widens the range of our view of the law of God. In Isa. 51:6, we read:—
“Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth beneath; for the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment, and they that dwell therein shall die in like manner; but my salvation shall be forever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished.”
Abolish the righteousness of God? of course not; but what is the righteousness of God? The very next verse tells us of what the Lord, through his prophet, is here speaking. We proceed: “Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law.” The conclusion to be drawn is very evident. The people who know righteousness are they in whose hearts God's law is enshrined; they know righteousness, because the law is itself righteousness (Ps. 119:172); and not only is it righteousness in the abstract, but it is the righteousness of God. This is an expression which the apostle Paul often uses in referring to the law.
What an exalted idea of the law of God does this give us! To say that it is perfect may convey various ideas to different persons, for many would be apt to measure the law by their own standard of perfection; but when we learn that it is “the righteousness of God,” we know that it must be infinite in its breadth. The law is a transcript of God's character, a photograph of character which is infinite in its perfection. It is his nature represented in words, for the benefit of his creatures, so that they may know what is required of them if they would be partakers of the divine nature. God says to man, “Be ye holy, for I am holy.” 1 Pet. 1:16. But without some description of the holiness of God, it would be impossible for man to know how he should order his life; for “the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” Jer. 10:23.
Since the law is “the righteousness of God”—a brief yet comprehensive description of his character—it may properly be termed the way of the Lord. And so in Isa. 55:8, 9, we have an additional evidence of the exceeding greatness of that law: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” The holiness of God's law is just as much superior to any goodness that man possesses as God is greater than man. The law of God, then, is very justly called his way, and since those who become acquainted with God by walking in the way with him, are at peace (Job 22:21), it follows that a proper term for the law is, “the way of peace.” It is the ten commandments, then, to which Paul refers, when, speaking of the universal wickedness of mankind, he says: “Destruction and misery are in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known; there is no fear of God before their eyes.” Rom. 3:16-18. This idea is still further proved by Isa. 48:18: “O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandment! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea.”
The law of God is also called the truth. “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.” Ps. 119:142. It is the very perfection of truth, since it is the expression of God's character. This point is brought out in Rom. 2:17-20. Paul there says:—
“Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.”
In that justly celebrated work, “The Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul,” by Conybeare and Howson, the last clause of the above text is thus rendered: “Possessing in the law the perfect pattern of knowledge and of truth.” This accurately describes the law, which is such a perfect pattern of truth that whosoever follows it will live a life of perfect truth. It is because it is perfect truth that it enables the one who is instructed in it to “try the things which differ” (see margin of verse 18), or, as Conybeare and Howson render it, to “give judgment upon good or evil.”
It is impossible for mortal tongue ever to express, or even for mortal intellect ever to comprehend, the breadth, the beauty, and the perfection of God's law. There is in it abundant food for meditation both day and night; and the more we learn of it, the more we can appreciate the psalmist's glowing descriptions of it, and his exhortations to continually study it. But as man, by searching, can never find out God, so that he can fully comprehend all his attributes, so no man, even when glorified and made immortal, can ever exhaust the law of God. On earth, as we meditate in the law, we can only exclaim, “O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!” and in Heaven, even to the countless ages of eternity, as in the glory of his presence we are permitted to look with unvailed eyes upon Him whose character is portrayed in the ten commandments, our wonder will not cease, and we can only join with the angelic beings that support his throne, in saying, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.”
“The Abiding Sabbath.”
By A. T. J.
THE late Hon. Richard Fletcher, of Boston, Mass., by his last will, established in charge of the trustees of Dartmouth College, “a fund from the income of which they were to offer, once in two years, a prize of $500 for the essay best adapted” to counteract “the numerous and powerful influences constantly active in drawing professed Christians into fatal conformity with the world, both in spirit and practice.” The fifth time of offering the prize fell in 1883. Accordingly the trustees of the fund and of Dartmouth College selected, as the “specific theme” of the desired essay, “The Perpetual Obligation of the Lord's Day,” and offered the five-hundred-dollar prize for the best. The committee of award was composed of the following gentlemen: “Prof. William Thompson, D. D., Prof. Llewellyn Pratt, D. D., and Rev. George M. Stone, D. D., all of Hartford, Conn.” This committee, “after a careful and thorough examination,” awarded the prize to an essay which proved to have been written by Rev. George Elliot, of West Union, Iowa. The essay, entitled “The Abiding Sabbath,” appeared in 1884, and was issued from the press of the American Tract Society in the winter of 1884-5, in the form of a book of two hundred and eighty pages. A copy of the work has been in our hands some time, for notice, but, until now, we have not had time to give it the attention that we desired.
For more than a quarter of a century, Seventh-day Adventists have known, have preached, and have written, that the Sabbath question would yet be the leading question in the United States, not alone in religion, but in politics as well; or, as we might rather say, in the religio-political form that is soon to be given to the American Union. This we have known all these years; but, until within a few years, our opponents have thought that we were counting the Sabbath question of undue importance. Now, however, even they are constrained to admit that that question is fast assuming the place of first importance in the affairs of the country, and so confess that we have been only in the right about it all the time. Knowing the importance of the question, not only in itself, but also because of the prominence it is soon to assume in national affairs, we shall always endeavor, as far as in us lies, to keep our readers informed on the subject in all its bearings. “The Abiding Sabbath,” being one of the latest as well as one of the most authoritative discussions of the question as to why we should keep56Sunday instead of the Sabbath of the Lord, we ask the attention of our readers while we examine the main points of the argument.
The book is divided into three parts—“Sabbath of Nature,” “Sabbath of the Law,” and “Sabbath of Redemption.” We shall quote quite largely from the first two parts, and that without argument, there being in fact no room for argument between us, because the author of “The Abiding Sabbath,” in these two parts, proves to perfection the perpetual obligation of the seventh-day as the Sabbath, and that is exactly what we believe. We ask our readers to carefully preserve his argument on the “Sabbath of Nature” and the “Sabbath of the Law,” which we quote, (1) because it is excellent reading, and (2) because we want them to see clearly, by what curious freaks of logic it is, that after absolutely demonstrating the perpetual obligation of the seventh day, another day entirely is the one to be observed. He says most truly:—
“The Sabbath is an institution as old as the completion of the world. . . . It shares with marriage the glory of being the sole relic saved to the fallen race from the lost paradise. One is the foundation of the family, and consequently of the State; the other is equally necessary to worship and the church. These two fair and fragrant roses man bore with him from the blighted bliss of Eden.
“It is not, however, the mere fact of age that lends sacredness to these institutions; for years alone cannot give consecration or compel regard to anything which does not possess in itself some inherent sanctity or dignity. It is in the circumstances of its first institution, and in its essential character, that we must hope to discover the necessity and holiness of the Sabbath day.
“‘God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.’ Gen. 2:3. Such is the sublimely simple statement which forms the last strain of that magnificent hymn of creation which is our only glimpse into the beginning of things. It is surely consistent with sound common sense and sound interpretation to see in these words much more than a mere anticipation of the theocratic Sabbath of Israel. It seems absurd to express in words what some have implied in their reasonings on this passage: ‘God rested on the seventh day; therefore 2,500 years afterwards he blessed and sanctified it.’ The same form of language is used to describe what took place on the seventh day as in relating what took place in the six preceding days.
“It is certain that a first reading of this passage conveys to the mind the idea that the sanctification of the Sabbath as a day of rest took place at the very close of the creative week. That such was the case would probably never have been denied, if the denial had not been necessary to support a peculiar view. Doubt in regard to this proleptic interpretation is sustained by the recent discovery of mention of a day of rest in the Assyrian account of creation, which is believed to antedate Moses by nearly six hundred years, and the further discovery of the actual observance of a Sabbath in Babylonia long before the time of the Mosaic institution. Is not God saving his facts, in Egyptian tombs, on Assyrian bricks, and in all historic remains everywhere, that, at every crisis of his truth, when even the mouths of believers are silenced by the tumult of doubt, the very ‘stones’ may ‘cry out’?
“A special authority attaches itself to the primitive revelation. Whatever critical opinions may assert concerning the early history of the world, to the Christian the testimony of Jesus Christ remains in force to the high obligation of the Edenic law. In reproving the corruptions of the marriage relation which had arisen under the Mosaic code, he reverts to the primitive law: ‘From the beginning it was not so.’ That is to say, the law of the beginning is supreme. Whatever institutions were given to man then were given for all time. There is given thus to marriage, and to its related institution, the Sabbath, a permanent character and authority which transcend the Hebrew legislation in their universal and binding force. These elements of truth which were given to the infant race, are the possession of humanity, and not of the Jew alone; they are the alphabet of all the growing knowledge of man, not to be forgotten as the world grows old, but to be borne with him in all his wanderings, to last through all changes, and be his guide up those rugged steeps by which he must climb to the loftier summits of his nobler destiny.
“Not to a single race, but to man; not to man alone, but to the whole creation; not to the created things alone, but to the Creator himself, came the benediction of the first Sabbath. Its significance extends beyond the narrow limits of Judaism, to all races, and perhaps to all worlds. It is a law spoken not simply through the lawgiver of a chosen people, but declared in the presence of a finished heaven and earth. The declaration in Genesis furnishes the best commentary on the saying of Jesus: ‘The Sabbath was made for man.’ For man, universal humanity, it was given with its benediction.
“The reason of the institution of the Sabbath is one which possesses an unchanging interest and importance to all mankind. The theme of the creation is not peculiar to Israel, nor is worship of the Creator confined to the children of Abraham. The primary article of every religious creed, and the foundation of all true religion, is faith in one God as the Maker of all things. Against atheism, which denies the existence of God; against materialism, which denies that this visible universe has its roots in the unseen; against secularism, which denies the need of worship, the Sabbath is therefore an eternal witness. It symbolically commemorates that creative power which spoke all things into being. The wisdom which ordered their adaptations and harmony, and the love which made, as well as pronounced, all ‘very good.’ It is set as the perpetual guardian of man against that spiritual infirmity which has everywhere led him to a denial of the God who made him, or to the degradation of that God into a creature made with his own hands. . . .
“While the reason remains, the law remains. The reason of the Sabbath is to be found in the fact of creation; it is God’s one monument set in human history to that great event; and so long as the truth of creation and the knowledge of a Creator have any value to human thought, any authority over the human conscience, or make any appeal to human affections, so long the law and the institution of the Sabbath will abide with lasting instruction and undiminished obligation.
“God ‘rested the seventh day from all his work which he had made.’ Such is the record, declared in the beginning, embodied in the decalogue, and confirmed by the epistle to the Hebrews. It is a statement not easily to be understood at the first glance. ‘Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?’ Isa. 40:28. If he is never weary, how can we say of him that he rests? . . . God is a Spirit, and the only rest which he can know is that supreme repose which only the Spirit can know—in the fulfillment of his purpose and the completeness as well as the completion of his work. Just as, in the solemn pauses between the creative days, he pronounced his creatures ‘very good,’ so did he rejoice over the finishing of his work, resting in the perfect satisfaction of an accomplished plan; not to restore his wasted energy, as man rests, but to signify that in the coming of man the creative idea has found its consummation and crown. Such is the rest possible to a purely spiritual being—the rest of a completed work.
“There is a still deeper sense in which the example of Deity reveals this obligation. Suppose the question to be asked, How can we know that any precept is moral in its meaning and authority, and not simply a positive and arbitrary command? What better answer could be given to this inquiry than to say that a moral precept must have the ground of its existence in the nature of God? Our highest conception of the moral law is to regard it as the transcript of the divine nature. . . . No more perfect vindication of the moral character of a law can be given than to show that it is a rule of the divine conduct; that it has been imposed upon his own activity by that infinite Will which is the supreme authority both in the physical and moral government of the universe. That law to which the Creator submits his own being must be of absolute binding force upon every creature made in his image. Such is the law of the Sabbath. ‘God rested the seventh day,’ and by so doing has given to the law of the Sabbath the highest and strongest sanction possible even to Deity. In no conceivable way could the Almighty so perfectly and with such unchallengeable authority declare, not simply his will in a positive institution, but the essentially moral character of the precept, as by revealing his own self-subjection to the rule which he imposes on his creatures. . . .
“Its obligation is addressed, not to man’s physical nature alone, but to man as a spiritual being, made in the image of God; it is laid, not only on his bodily powers and natural understanding, but upon his moral reason as right, and upon his conscience as a duty. It is therefore bounded by no limits of time, place, or circumstance, but is of universal and perpetual authority. . . .
“The Sabbath is therefore shown to be given in the beginning to all men; to have the lofty sanction of the example of God; to be rooted in the eternal world; to be the witness of the most important truths possible for man to know; to be a blessing to man’s nature; to inclose a duty of worship to God. By all these revealings which are given by the institution at its first ordainment, we are justified in believing that it has a moral meaning within it, and imposes upon all races and generations of men an unchanging and unrelaxed obligation of dutiful observance.”
We have quoted more than half of the whole first chapter; but we have no apology to make. We honestly thank Mr. Elliott that he has enabled us to lay before our readers so masterly a demonstration of the perpetual and universal obligation of the seventh day as the Sabbath of the Lord. We ask our readers to study it carefully; for it is a vindication of principles that are eternal, and that no ingenuity of man can undermine.
Next week, if the Lord will, we shall notice his “Sabbath of the Law”—the fourth commandment.
The Lord Pitiful.
By Ellen G. White
THE Lord will hear. He knows how strong are the inclinations of the natural heart, and he will help in every time of temptation. Have you fallen into sin? Then without delay seek God for mercy and pardon. When David was convicted of his sin, he poured out his soul in penitence and humiliation before God. He felt that he could endure the loss of his crown, but he could not be deprived of the favor of God. Mercy is still extended to the sinner. The Lord is calling to us in all our wanderings, "Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings." The blessing of God may be ours, if we will heed the pleading voice of his Spirit. "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him." E. G. W.
The Missionary.
By Stephen Nelson Haskell
Letter from New Zealand.
We left Melbourne for New Zealand October 8, and had a pleasant trip. We expected to visit, in about one month, the principal places, and establish agencies in each city for the sale of our publications, and return to Melbourne. This is one of our methods of operating in this country.
At Auckland we met with a class of people who in some respects resemble first-day Adventists in America. They hold the same views on the nature of man and the second coming of Christ, but differ widely as to the events connected with his coming. We were invited by this society to present our views and to set forth the difference between us and them. This we freely did; and it resulted in a friendly discussion of the Sabbath question with their pastor for two evenings. He took no new position against the Sabbath, unless it was to deny the meaning of the word Kadush, rendered sanctify, Gen. 2:3 (as given by Gesenius and over twenty other eminent scholars to which we referred him), viz., to appoint. The proof he offered for this was, that it was rendered appoint but once in the Bible (Joshua 20:7), and even in that place it is rendered differently in the new version. We referred him to 2 Kings 10:20; Joel 1:14; 2:15; Zeph. 1:7; Ex. 19:12, 23, as illustrative of the meaning of the word; but he said that as it did not read appoint in those places, it did not mean appoint. He claimed that the patriarchs could remember the weeks without remembering the Sabbath (which was the only thing given to mark the weekly cycle), that the Sabbath originated in the wilderness thirty days before the children of Israel came to Sinai; and that it, with the ten commandments, was given to the Jews only, and was for them to observe now and in the future age.
Thus this man virtually denied the reason which God gave in Ex. 20:11 for the observance of the Sabbath: "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." He also claimed that Matt. 5:17-20; 19:17; Luke 10:25-27; Matt. 24:20; James 1:23-25; 2:10-12; and that portion of Romans where the perpetuity of the law is taught, refer exclusively to the Jews; that Christ brought in all that was necessary (accordingly the first commandment was given to the Christian church through the devil. Matt. 4:10). In response to a question, he acknowledged that he could not find the second commandment; but the others were all right, he said, with the exception of the fourth,—they were all there, he reiterated with great assurance, except the Sabbath.
It is also the position of their pastor (he has of late been giving them a brief exposition of the book of Revelation), that the prophecy of that book is all consecutive. I did not fully understand at what particular point we are at the present time in this book. These people also hold that in a thousand years in the future there will be an opportunity for all to be saved. It can readily be seen that this view tends to laxity in the morals of the people, as they can, if this be true, go on in sin now and be saved at last. As rapid a growth in grace cannot be expected with people holding such views as with those who believe that the present is the only time of salvation. This view is a reconstruction of the temporal millennium taught by Whitby in the sixteenth century. It would be unjust, however, to say that all these people hold this doctrine, for they do not. In fact, there are hardly any two of them that agree on all points. There are some worthy members among them.
A few nobly took their stand on the truth; one, Edward Hare, who acts as general agent for our publications in the north part of New Zealand. Already he has taken between one and two hundred orders for volume four, "Great Controversy." The only way that the truth can go forward successfully in this city is by a tent being pitched and a course of religious discourses given. We trust the seed sown during our stay here, which was about five weeks, will prepare the way for a tent.
From Auckland we went to Kaeo, which is 160 miles north on the Kaeo River, four miles from the bay. The scenery here is delightful, the winding paths on the mountain sides and through the valleys, better adapted for those on horse-back and foot passengers than wheeled vehicles, forcibly reminded me of the valleys and winding paths of the Alps where the Waldenses lived for so many centuries. We remained with this people three weeks, and held meetings almost constantly. Of them it might be said, as was said of the Bereans, "They were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily whether these things were so." We became acquainted with Mr. Joseph Hare, who had been a school teacher in the north of Ireland for twenty years, and a Bible reader in one of the churches. When they excluded the Bible from the schools, he left, and came to this country. He has a large family of children and step-children, all of whom are teetotalers and only one of them uses tobacco. As we became acquainted with them, and saw their earnestness to learn how to live healthfully as well as to live acceptably in God's sight in other respects, also to have their children educated in Bible truths, our heart was drawn out for them. The entire community are a hospitable people. From our experience and the Bible record, we believe that the fear of God and hospitality are of near kin to each other. Their ideas of health reform are owing in part to the fact that a few years since the Health Reformer found its way among them and left its influence. One of them that embraced the Sabbath is a young man who had preached for the Methodists. He sails for America to learn further of the truth and the country. We hope he may return to preach the message to the people of New Zealand.
Quite a number of families at this place took their stand on the truth and will hereafter hold their meetings on the Sabbath. We know of no field where a godly minister and his wife by their example and instruction could accomplish more good than in this country. The night before we left, there was a social meeting held at the hall, where about twenty-five of the friends met. After taking refreshment they spent about two hours in remarks, singing, and playing on the organ; when finally Mr. Hare senior presented me, with a few appropriate remarks, a purse containing a check of no mean sum as a token of appreciation of what they had heard. We hope to visit them again before we return to America, which, according to present arrangement, will be in April or May. The reports we get from Australia are also encouraging. At the last report, twenty-six had signed the covenant. We are satisfied that God has a people in these colonies, and that the time has come for them to have the truth. If it was God's order, we would as willingly devote the remainder of our life among this people as in our native land. We expect to leave this week Thursday for Melbourne. There are many openings already in this colony for labor.
S. N. H.
Auckland, N. Z., Dec. 21, 1885.
Sunday Closing Agitation in India
The Sunday agitation has reached even India. A recent paper says: "A movement for securing the closing of shops on Sunday is gaining favor among the Hindoos of Calcutta."
A Letter from British Guiana.
By Editor
A LETTER received not long since at this office from a brother in Georgetown, British Guiana, who recently embraced present truth through reading the SIGNS, says:—
"It is with great pleasure that I address you on the subject of the cause of Adventism. It causes me to rejoice that I, an unworthy child of God, should be an instrument in the hand of Providence to aid in carrying this last message to the world. Even in the once benighted spot where I first went on my arrival in British Guiana, and spoke a word for the Master, there are those who stand up for Christ.
"This month finds me battling with foes without and foes within, having been robbed of the amount of $25.00. I am therefore left without money; yet there are some of willing minds who desire that the truth be established in this dark part of the colony. The demand for our reading matter is great. Two in this vicinity, together with Brother George Amsterdam, have decided to obey the truth. Elder Daniel and his wife have also taken their stand on the Lord's side. He preached in his church on the evening of December 5 a most impressive sermon on the Third Angel's Message, to an attentive audience, thus arousing the people to inquiry. Two more orders were received to-day for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Mr. Daniel will also act as agent for the SIGNS.
"Please send me, by mail, three copies of 'Man's Nature and Destiny,' and two of each number of 'The Great Controversy.' One of these sets is ordered by a minister of the A. M. E. Church, who has been convinced of the truthfulness of our doctrine. Please continue my club of ten SIGNS during 1886.
"The Lord has begun to work in Georgetown, among those of other faiths, and our publications are much sought after. Send the word, don't fail; for the Lord has gone out before his people. To-morrow, Sabbath, December 12, we hold our first public gathering for worship in this place."
Labor in Nevada.
By G. W. Colcord
My field of labor during the last two months has been at St. Clair, Stillwater, Wadsworth, and Reno. As the result of labor performed at different times, I had the pleasure of baptizing two and receiving the sincere promises of five others that they would prepare for baptism in the near future. I also received the names of two persons on the covenant. Fifty-eight dollars was raised during the holidays for mission and church purposes.
At Stillwater several persons acknowledged the truth presented, and one expressed a determination to live a Christian life. At Wadsworth a gentleman promised to arrange his affairs in such a manner that he and his wife might be able to keep the Lord's Sabbath.
I attended quarterly meeting at Reno, transacted some church business, and held a missionary meeting in which twenty copies of the SIGNS and thirty of the American Sentinel were added to the clubs already being taken. One member was added to the society, and thus the work progresses.
My address, for a number of weeks, will be Carson City, Nev. G. W. COLCORD.
Trust God, and Cast Away Anxiety
How much needless worry and anxiety there is in many Christian hearts! How prone we are to forget the infinite supplies in our Father's store-house! O anxious soul, whether distressed in reference to spiritual or secular matters, trust God—"casting all your care upon him, for he careth for you." "Be careful for nothing [i. e., have no anxious care], but in everything, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known unto God." Study Matt. 10 : 29-31 and Luke 12 : 6, 7. Have faith in God.—Sel.
Home Missionaries.
By Ellen G. White
MANY professed Christians are laying upon the foundation-stone, wood, hay, and stubble, which the fires of the last day will consume. They engage in work that wearies, work that occupies golden hours; but it is not work that need be done. Their time is occupied, their energies exhausted, in that which will bring no precious returns either in this life or in the future, immortal life. What a difference will be seen when spiritual work engages the mind, when the talents are employed in the service of Jesus! The light that he has given us will then shine forth in direct, concentrated rays to others. All that we do for Jesus will enable us to enjoy this life better. Oh that all could see, as I have seen, the joy of those who have labored to the best of their ability, in humility and meekness, to help souls to come to Jesus! Oh, the joy that will be realized by the workers when the souls saved through their instrumentality express their gratitude in the mansions above! While Christ will be glorified as the only Redeemer, there will be an overflowing of gratitude from the saved for the human instrumentalities employed in their salvation. Their gratitude to those who rescued them will find expression in words like these: "I was pursuing a course that was a dishonor and an offense to my Redeemer; you manifested a love for my soul; you opened to me the word of God. I was on the brink of ruin; your prayers, your tearful entreaties, your earnest interest, arrested my attention. I thought that you must have the truth or you would not be so earnest for the salvation of others. I read the word of God for myself, and found that what you had told me was the truth. I am saved, and I will praise my Redeemer for his matchless mercy and pardoning love."
Those who think they can do but little, should improve every opportunity to do that little. It may be the smallest link in the longest chain. Separated from other influences, it may appear of little worth; but in God's great chain of circumstances it may be the link which connects a soul to Heaven. All can do something if they will; but too often selfishness prevents them from doing what they might, until the souls whom they might have saved, are beyond the reach of human effort. Dear brethren and sisters, you need divine enlightenment. When you have such a close connection with the world's Redeemer as you should have, you will be led to make prompt, determined, personal efforts to save your fellow-men.
The future of God's people lies in the present. He has given us a time of probation in which our fidelity to him is to be tested. It is now that the test is being applied. Time, strength, means, light, and mental abilities are intrusted to us. What use are we making of these gifts? How are we standing the test? Do we realize that our eternal welfare is determined by our present course of action? If we fail to honor God here by making a right use of our trusts, we would not honor him if taken to Heaven. If we prove unfaithful to the lesser responsibilities, how can God put upon us those weightier, eternal responsibilities which every inhabitant of Heaven must bear? In those who are cleansed and renewed, the fruits will appear, not only in their confession of sins, but in their conduct toward others. If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his. Christ gave himself a sacrifice to save perishing sinners. He consented to poverty because he could thus best reach the poor and the oppressed; he could thus best understand their privations and sorrows. It was his great love for our souls that led him to renounce the enjoyments of Heaven, and even the comforts of this life; and if we have his spirit in our hearts, it will be manifested in a similar earnestness to save perishing souls. The measure of Christ's love that we possess, will be evidenced by the course we pursue. God is testing us to see whether we have chosen Christ or mammon as our master. His word plainly declares that we cannot serve both.