Earlier text: Science and RevelationThe Kingdom of Christ.
By Editor
THE doctrine of the kingdom of Christ calls for special attention in this connection; though some may, at a first glance, think that it is not directly related to the subject of the Atonement. Here we may repeat a statement made, that there are no isolated, independent truths in the great plan of salvation. It takes all the truths and doctrines of the Bible to make one complete system; and the Atonement is the great central work, by virtue of which all other parts of the work of salvation and redemption are carried out. But the special reason why the subject of the kingdom should here receive attention is this: There is another class of texts in the Scriptures which speak of Christ on his throne which are misapplied by many religious teachers, who refer them also to his kingly priesthood. They seem to take it for granted that every Scripture declaration concerning his kingly authority must refer to him while sitting a priest on his Father's throne in Heaven. But the Scriptures themselves very clearly distinguish between these two classes of texts, and to amalgamate them is only to make confusion and to obscure the light of some precious Bible truths. In Acts 1:6 it is recorded that the disciples inquired of Christ: "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?" On this we first notice, that the term "Israel" primarily was indicative of character, and not of birth. Jacob was called Israel, and Esau was not, though they were children of the same parents—twin brothers. Afterward the term was applied to all the descendants of Jacob, though it never lost its primary signification. It was by this fact that Paul proved that the promises of God are strictly and literally fulfilled, though the unbelieving nation were rejected which claimed the sole right to that title. They are not all Israel which are of Israel, nor are all heirs of the blessings of Abraham who descended from Abraham. The promise of kingly glory preceded the existence of the nation (See Gen. 17:5-7), and the rejection of any part of the nation, or even of the whole as a nation, did not and could not destroy the promises. When Jesus, because of their rejection of the message from Heaven, foretold the rejection of the Jews, he did it in the following language: "Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof." Matt. 21:43. That was to say, that the kingdom should be taken from nominal Israel, and given to the true Israel, the faithful overcomers. See also Gal. 3:29. And with this agree the words of the Lord to David, as recorded in Ps. 89. "I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations." Verses 3, 4. And again: "His seed also will I make to endure forever, and his throne as the days of heaven. . . . Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. It shall be established forever as the moon, and as a faithful witness in Heaven." Verses 29-37. It is not merely a theory that depends upon the true interpretation of these promises. We shall endeavor to show that the truths which they contain are eminently practical, and that a misapplication of them leads to serious perversions of the gospel and of the relations of Christianity to the kingdoms of this present world. We turn now to the question found in Acts 1:6. The opinion largely prevails among commentators of the present day that the disciples were indulging a very erroneous idea respecting the kingdom, which was the cause of their asking such a question. Dr. Barnes says: "They did not ask whether he would do it at all, or whether they had correct views of the kingdom; but, taking that for granted, they asked him whether that was the time in which he would do it." And from this he draws the conclusion that nothing is so hard to remove as "prejudice in favor of an erroneous opinion." It might be suggested that prejudice against the truth is as blind and unreasoning as prejudice in favor of error. But Dr. Barnes thought that, from the teachings of the Saviour in regard to his kingdom, they should have better known its nature than to ask such a question. And his comment doubtless expresses the views of a majority of commentators of the present day. We say, "of the present day," because the popular view of the present day was not always the popular view held in the Christian Church. But for that we care nothing; our inquiry is, "What saith the Scripture?" The question of the disciples was solely in regard to the time of setting up the kingdom. The answer of the Saviour was in reference to the subject of the question, the time, and it was not at all calculated to correct a wrong impression in regard to the nature of the kingdom, if they were resting in an error on that subject. "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." This answer was certainly well calculated to confirm them in the view which they held. Not the hint of the correction of an error, but, to the contrary, they were told that the time of which they inquired was not to be revealed to them. The Revised Version says, "which the Father hath set within his own authority." Margin—"appointed by." A careful examination of the whole subject must convince any one that this is parallel with Matt. 24:36. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of Heaven, but my Father only." The declaration that the time of which they inquired is set or placed within the authority of the Father, known to no others, is quite the reverse of an intimation that the question referred to something which would never take place. Verse 3 says that, after his resurrection, Jesus was seen of the disciples "forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God." Some appear to think that the time and opportunities were rather limited for their gaining instruction on this important subject. But, remembering that "the kingdom" was the burden of all the teaching and preaching of both Jesus and his disciples during all his ministry, insomuch that he called his gospel "this gospel of the kingdom," Matt. 24:14, we would rather take the chance which the disciples had of learning the truth on the subject, than to take a "three years' course" in any theological school now in existence. We have another instance of the Saviour giving instruction on this subject where the question of time was first in their minds. "He added and spake a parable, because he was nigh to Jerusalem, and because they thought that the kingdom of God should immediately appear." Luke 19:11. In this parable he spoke of himself as a nobleman who went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. That this represents his going to his Father in Heaven to receive a kingdom, and returning to this earth, is evident, for, he said: "But his citizens hated him, and sent a message after him, saying, We will not have this man to reign over us. And it came to pass that when he was returned, having received the kingdom," then he rewarded his servants and destroyed his enemies. But this will apply to no other locality but this earth. And it exactly corresponds to his statement of what takes place at his coming, at "the end of the world." Matt. 13:41, 43. "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend and them which do iniquity. . . . Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." It must be borne in mind that "the field is the world;" that the workers of iniquity are represented by the tares, which grow with the wheat until the harvest. That the harvest is reaped at the coming of the Son of man is shown in Rev. 14:14-20, and other scriptures. The kingdom and dominion over this world is given to Christ, the "nobleman," not at or near the beginning of this dispensation, as many believe, but near its close. This is proved by Rev. 11:14, 15. Under the third woe trumpet, which is the last of the seven trumpets, and which introduces the Judgment (verse 18), a voice proclaims: "The kingdoms of this world are become [the kingdoms] of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever." Under this trumpet the dispensation comes to its close. Also the prophecy of Daniel is decisive on this point. In chapter two, in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar, the king or kingdom of Babylon answered to the head of gold of the image. This kingdom was succeeded by that of the Medes and Persians, see Dan. 5:30, 31, which answered to the breast and arms of the image. And the Persian was succeeded by the Grecian, Dan. 8:3-8, 20, which was represented by the body of brass of the image. Another kingdom, the fourth, was strong as iron—represented by the legs of iron—stronger than all that preceded it; and it was divided into ten parts, or kingdoms, in the image represented by the feet and toes. This was the Roman kingdom, which was successor to the Grecian, and which bore an iron rule over all the world. It was divided into ten kingdoms. These are the several parts of the image which was seen by Nebuchadnezzar; and such was the interpretation of the dream, as given by Daniel. But another object was seen in the dream, and it also represented a kingdom. It was "a stone cut out of the mountain without hands." The original is reflexive in form, conveying the idea of self-moving. This stone smote the image "upon his feet, that were of iron and clay." That is to say, that it smote the image at some time after the Roman kingdom was divided, for the stone could not smite the feet and toes of the image before they existed. Or, in the fulfillment, the kingdom represented by the stone could not smite the kingdoms represented by the feet and toes of the image until they had arisen—until the Roman Empire was divided into ten parts or kingdoms. In the dream, the effect of the smiting of the image by the stone, is thus described: "Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer threshing-floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for them; and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." In the interpretation it is thus stated: "In the days of these kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." Dan. 2:35, 44. This describes, not the conversion of earthly powers, but the entire destruction of all earthly powers, their places being filled by the kingdom of God, by which they are broken in pieces. See the same foretold in Jer. 25:15-33. In this chapter it is said that "all the kingdoms of the world, which are upon the face of the whole earth," shall drink of the wine-cup of God's fury, "and fall, and rise no more, because of the sword which I will send among" them. No such destruction as that described in Jer. 25 has ever taken place; but it will, for the word of the Lord declares it. Then will the interpretation of the dream of Nebuchadnezzar be fulfilled.165It is true that Dan. 2 does not definitely give the chronology of the setting up of the kingdom of God; but it does definitely place it after the full development of the image, including the divisions of the Roman power. This brings it down several centuries this side of the days of the apostles. But in Dan. 7: 9-14 it is located, as in Rev. 11: 14-18, in the time of the Judgment. In Dan. 7 is recorded a vision of the prophet, which was explained by an angel. Under the symbols of beasts and horns it presents the same kingdoms and the same events which are given in chapter 2 in the great image. In chapter 7, the Roman Empire and its divisions are represented by a dreadful and terrible beast with great iron teeth, which had ten horns. This chapter contains, however, two important points which are not found in chapter 2. (1) The rise and work of "another little horn," after the rise of the ten, which was quite different from the others, and at length became stronger than all the others. (2) The sitting of the Judgment, which takes place before the kingdoms of the world are given to the Son of man. The work of the "little horn" was one of persecution. "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." This wearing out the saints of the Most High—the most terrible persecution which the church of God ever suffered—was under the Roman power, but principally under its ecclesiastical form. The angel continued: "But the Judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end." These words contain a confirmation of the view we have advanced, that the Judgment sits before the end, before the coming of the Son of man; and before the dominion is taken from this persecuting power. And how noteworthy it is that within the last score of years the civil power has been entirely taken away from the church of Rome. "United Italy" has literally dethroned the head of the church, who now pays taxes to the Government as any other citizen! And the next event in the angel's interpretation of the vision is this: "And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him." Dan. 7: 25-27. This closes the interpretation. The last event in every line of prophecy is the giving of the kingdom and dominion in Christ and to his people. And, as has been shown, and will be further noticed, this gift is speedily followed by the overthrow and entire destruction of all the kingdoms and dominions of the world. It may not be objected that these prophecies refer to the introduction of the gospel and to the establishing of the church of Christ, in the present age. The scope of the prophecies forbids it. The events given in the vision of Dan. 7 cover the entire gospel dispensation, and even reach beyond it. If this be denied, we might as well deny the Judgment and future rewards at once. And—which ought to be decisive with all—the New Testament presents the possession of the kingdom as a matter of promise and of hope to the saints. Thus James says: "Hearken, my beloved brethren. Hath not God chosen the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" Jas. 2: 5. In the same manner Peter speaks "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us," and informs them what they must do in perfecting their characters, "for so an entrance shall be ministered to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." 2 Peter 1: 1-11. And Paul also shows to his brethren the mystery of the possession of the kingdom. He says "that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption." 1 Cor. 15: 50. In the scriptures already quoted it is said the kingdom is to be everlasting—to stand forever. "Flesh and blood" is an expression indicating a mortal, perishable, corruptible condition. A mortal, corruptible man could not inherit an everlasting, incorruptible kingdom; for he would die and leave it to successors. But that would destroy the scripture which says "it shall not be left to other people." In this present mortal state the saints are heirs of the kingdom; when they inherit it their heirship will cease. EDITOR.
(To be continued.) OH, WHY SHOULD THE SPIRIT OF MORTAL BE PROUD?
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud?
Like a swift-fleeting meteor, a fast-flying cloud,
A flash of the lightning, a break of the wave,
Man passes from life to his rest in the grave. The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade,
Be scattered around and together be laid;
And the young and the old, and the low and the high,
Shall molder to dust and together shall die. The infant, a mother attended and loved,
The mother, that infant's affection who proved,
The husband, that mother and infant who blessed,
Each, all, are away to their dwellings of rest. The maid, on whose cheek, on whose brow, in whose eye,
Shone beauty and pleasure—her triumphs are by;
And the memory of those who loved her and praised
Are alike from the minds of the living erased. The hand of the king, that the scepter hath borne,
The brow of the priests, that the miter hath worn,
The eye of the sage, and the heart of the brave,
Are hidden and lost in the depth of the grave. The peasant, whose lot was to sow and to reap;
The herdsman, who climbed with his goats up the steep;
The beggar, who wandered in search of his bread,
Have faded away like the grass that we tread. The saint, who enjoyed the communion of heaven,
The sinner, who dared to remain unforgiven,
The wise and the foolish, the guilty and just,
Have quietly mingled their bones in the dust. So the multitude goes, like the flower or the weed
That withers away to let others succeed;
So the multitude comes, even those we behold,
To repeat every tale that has often been told. For we are the same our fathers have been;
We see the same sights our fathers have seen—
We drink the same stream and view the same sun,
And run the same course our fathers have run. The thoughts we are thinking our fathers would think;
From the death we are shrinking our fathers would shrink;
To the life we are clinging they also would cling;
But it speeds for us all, like a bird on the wing. They loved, but the story we cannot unfold;
They scorned, but the heart of the haughty is cold;
They grieved, but no wail from their slumbers will come;
They joyed, but the tongue of their gladness is dumb. They died; ay! they died; and we things that are now,
Who walk on the turf that lies over their brow,
Who make in their dwelling a transient abode,
Meet the things that they met on their pilgrimage road. Yea! hope and despondency, pleasure and pain,
We mingle together in sunshine and rain;
And the smiles and the tears, the song and the dirge,
Still follow each other, like surge upon surge. 'Tis the wink of an eye, 'tis the draught of a breath,
From the blossom of health to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud—
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud? "A kiss saved me!" Immediately every face bent forward. Richly, daintily-clad women and moneyed men filled the spacious room; but the silence that followed that statement could be felt, so eager were they to catch every word. Some one had spoken lightly of the trifles that so surely make up the sum of human happiness or woe. Trifles count for nothing, they thought; it is the great events that determine the destinies of men for good or ill. It was this that had drawn forth the statement and the explanation that followed. "I know nothing," he continued, "of my parents or the circumstances of my birth. Nothing in all the bitter past clings so close to memory as the certainty that I belonged to nobody and nobody belonged to me. In one of our large cities, in a locality where there are many little homeless ones, where baseness is the ruling element, I may or may not have had my birth—at least that was the first I knew of myself. Poverty isn't so hard if we've some one to love us; but no one cared for me, and all the days were alike, and the nights seemed an eternity of time. There is a bitterness of sorrow in the lives of the homeless of which God only can know. "The snow had fallen, and the cold March winds were blowing, leaving us no choice, except the sunny side of the dismal street in which we found shelter. I, with others whose years were few, and whose homes were anywhere, had sought the sunny side, when a lady paused beside us, smoothed back my tangled locks and kissed me. That was the first caress I had known, and it saved me. I slept somewhere that night, and unlike all other nights that had preceded it, I was neither cold nor weary. The hand reached down to lift me up from the depths never unclasped its hold. Angels sang their sweetest songs through the long hours; the rapturous refrain echoes in my soul to-night. It was years before I grew out of that life to a better one; but whether I had where to lay my head, or had not, I knew no weariness. The warm glow of a perfect day lighted all the future, and in every dark hour I felt the presence of a light foot-fall, the soft touch of a hand. "Out of the pure depths of her pitying womanhood she kissed me. It was a trifling thing indeed, to kiss a homeless, friendless child; but because of that kiss, and with the Father's help, I stand to-day upon the firm basis of an honorable manhood."—Selected. In all past ages the pious in times of trouble have found refuge and strength in prayer. This weapon of their warfare—not carnal but spiritual—forged for them in the armory of Heaven, has been mighty through God for their own deliverance and the overthrow of their enemies. "Is any afflicted let him pray." Commit thy cause unto the Lord, and so engage him on your side. When good Hezekiah received a letter containing the sad information that Sennacherib, the formidable king of Assyria, was about to attempt the capture and destruction of Jerusalem, we are told that he "went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord" in prayer. And he had power with God; his prayer was effectual, and the Lord sent a destroying angel against the Assyrian army, who slew in a single night 185,000 men. Thus Hezekiah upon his knees conquered Sennacherib; and this should be our resource in the hour of danger and distress. We should fight upon our knees. This will insure speedy and decisive victory. "Restraining prayer we cease to fight." Obedience Is Perfect Liberty
It is foolish to strive with what we cannot avoid; to obey God is perfect liberty. Honesty Requires Restitution
HONESTY obliges us to make restitution, not only of that which comes to us by our own faults, but of that which comes to us by the mistakes of others. Though we get it by oversight, if we keep it when the oversight is discovered, it is kept by deceit. Constancy Versus Obstinacy
It is no fault, but our wisdom and duty, to alter our purposes and resolutions when there is a good reason for our so doing. Constancy is a virtue, but obstinacy is not. THE first time that the Saviour sent forth the twelve disciples to preach, his instruction was, "When they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another." Matt. 10:23. The idea of being discouraged or giving up the contest was never entertained for a moment, even under the most adverse circumstances. "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." Verse 22. In harmony with the Master's precept and example, Paul and Barnabas, when expelled from Antioch and the province of Pisidia, patiently moved on to Iconium, the chief city of Lycaonia. Here success crowned their first effort, and a great multitude both of Jews and also of the Greeks believed." Acts 14:1. BUT no true missionary of the cross ever found a very long stretch of smooth sailing; and the apostle but spoke his own bitter experience when, on his return trip, he assured the churches raised up on this tour that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God." Verse 22. The experience of those ministers is in marked contrast with a recent comment in a leading denominational organ. Speaking of the improvements made by a prominent pastor in his church and parsonage, it was said that "he would soon have things just as nice as any one could wish." The first success at Iconium aroused the jealousy and envy of the Jews; their influence was at stake, as it had been at other places, and they stirred up strife against the new teachers. They incited the Gentiles to opposition, and invoked the power of the authorities of the city, bringing charges of evil designs on the part of Paul and Barnabas when they should have gained the adherence of the people. However, the Lord "gave testimony unto the word of his grace, and granted signs and wonders to be done by their hands." Verse 3. Here again was the proof that no one can resist the wisdom and power of the Spirit of truth. All the temporary victories that have ever been gained by the enemy have been by falsehood and deception, or by brute force. And even these apparent triumphs have always been in some way turned to the glory of God. FINALLY "there was an assault made," with the intent of stoning the ministers of Christ, and they being made aware of it, "fled unto Lystra and Derbe," in the same province. There was no cowardice about this fleeing. A "long time" they had abode there "speaking boldly in the Lord," notwithstanding the determined opposition of their enemies. Paul, especially, proved by his whole life that he was no coward, and his coming back to Iconium in a short time afterward is evidence that he was not actuated in feeling by any dread of physical consequences. He could do no more good there at that time, and his mission to the Gentile world had but commenced. The Master himself evaded attempts upon his life by fleeing, when he could have conquered his enemies upon the spot. John 8:59; 10:39. No disciple is justified in unnecessarily exposing himself to danger, as the glory of God and the honor of his cause can in no way be upheld by mere bravado of puny humanity. Let all courage be in the Lord, and let his Spirit dictate when to stand and when to flee. A firm trust will insure the guidance. NEVER were the freaks of human nature, or the vicissitudes of the Christian life and ministry more clearly demonstrated than at Lystra, on the occasion of the first visit of the missionaries. There was no Jewish synagogue here, and but few Jews. Utter strangers, Paul and Barnabas gathered the people about them as best they could, and made known the gospel of Christ. In the assembly was a poor cripple who had never been able to walk. Paul saw that he had faith, and healed him. With all the excitement characteristic of heathenism, the people set about to worship the apostles. Had the ministers been seeking their own glory or pecuniary gain—as was charged against Paul by the false apostles of Corinth, and has often been charged by the enemies of Christ since—here was their opportunity. The people believed they were gods come down from heaven, and were ready to comply with any outward demand. But they disclaimed all honor, and endeavored to show the people that it was from this kind of worship that their teaching was designed to turn them. And the next thing we are told is that this same excitable community, under other leaders, are incited to put to death those whom they but a short time previous were ready to honor with sacrifice and worship. So much for the wisdom of men. THE idol-worshippers of Lystra, not receiving the word of truth sent unto them, and being greatly disappointed on learning that the apostles were not the gods which they had supposed them to be, were in a proper frame of mind to be incited to any extreme action. When, therefore, the Jews from Antioch and Iconium had given out false impressions of the disciples, the people were only too ready to rush upon them with deadly intent. And thus it ever has been,—those who refuse to obey the truth are easily led to believe a lie; and such a condition is specially pointed out by this same apostle as pertaining to the last days. 2 Thess. 2:11. Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city as dead. But as the disciples mourned around him, he rose up, praising God, and entered with them into the city again. This occurrence was no doubt of great value to the new converts of Lystra, in confirming their faith. Here it was demonstrated to them that those who followed Jesus not only had the power of God accompanying them, but that part of their calling was to suffer for his name who had died for them. The young man Timothy learned a lesson here that did much toward preparing him for the important station which he filled in after years. Not a drop of Christian blood was ever spilled in persecution that did not in some way yield fruit to the glory of God. Characteristic Inconsistency.
WHILE the servants of the Lord were endeavoring to turn the heathen to the worship of the true God, they were followed up by their persecutors from Antioch and Iconium—representatives of the professed church of God. These bigoted zealots of the popular church now joined the heathen, whom they considered to be unclean, and instigated a riot against the reformers. To this envious extreme do all professors and churches go when they seek to maintain merely their own name and authority. The same spirit of envy has pursued the church from age to age until the present time, and must eventually take possession of every individual or body professing godliness, which refuses to keep pace with the light of truth, and with every advance step in the great reformation which God is working by his Spirit amongst his children. When men profess to believe the word of God, yet reject its plain fulfillment; when they assume the "form of godliness," yet "deny the power thereof" when it is plainly demonstrated before their eyes; they are prepared for almost any degree of inconsistency—even to a rejection of the "commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." To Derbe and Return to Antioch.
THE next day after their dreadful experience at Lystra, Paul and Barnabas went on their way to Derbe. Here they are said to have secured many converts, and apparently without any demonstrative opposition. Then they returned, by the same route they had come (except that they passed by Cyprus), to Antioch, "whence they had been sent forth." On their return they preached the word at Perga, in Pamphylia, which place had previously been passed by. This journey, undertaken in A. D. 45, included about 1,400 miles of travel, and occupied in time about one year and a half. We can imagine the returned missionaries received a joyful greeting by the church at Antioch, "from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God for the work which they had fulfilled." And it is enough to arouse the dormant missionary spirit of the most careless Laodicean to contemplate the rejoicing over the results of that enterprise, as Paul and Barnabas "rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles." The First Internal Strife.
By William N. Glenn
THE 15th chapter of Acts gives an account of the first serious internal trouble in the church. The Judean Jews were slow to believe and acknowledge that the Gentiles were on an equal footing with themselves under the gospel. We find even Peter, under whose ministry the broken partition had first been fully demonstrated, at one time so manifesting his prejudice that "even Barnabas was carried away." Gal. 2:11-13. In the midst of the prosperous times enjoyed at Antioch, after the return of Paul and Barnabas, certain ones came from Judea and taught the brethren that they should be circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Paul and Barnabas resisted the doctrine, but the dissension grew to such an extent that it was decided to have the matter settled at Jerusalem. At this meeting Peter gave his testimony, during which he raised a pointed question: "Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?" In modern times, some who are sore pressed for excuse to disregard the moral law have grasped at this straw, and teach that the "yoke" here referred to is the ten commandments. But the idea is not advanced by any of the standard commentaries, and in fact was little thought of by any one till all other arguments against the Sabbath of the Lord had failed. Circumcision was the main question at issue, it being a prominent part of the ceremonial law; but the moral law says nothing about circumcision, nor indeed any other ceremony. That law the observance of which is the evidence of love, Rom. 13:10, cannot be called a yoke of bondage in the sense of being burdensome. To the obedient follower of Christ, his law is a yoke only in the sense of submission, with rest—it is "easy" and "light." Matt. 11:28-30. But this first internal disturbance in the church was happily adjusted by all concerned agreeing to the decision of the arbiters. Although the question was a momentous one for that age and people, we do not read of any faction growing out of it, or the setting up of an Independent Church of the Circumcision, or any "agreement to disagree." It was settled by honestly "endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Eph. 4:3. W. N. GLENN. THE fact is, that the people do not need laborious efforts to uphold an indulgence in "things indifferent." They are led astray by them. The young man thinks that wine-drinking is a "thing indifferent," and next he acts as if it were a "thing indifferent" whether he be a drunkard or not. The indifferent cards are shuffled for amusement until he is educated for gambling; and what difference is it, if he spend whole nights in cheating and being cheated? The indifferent dance engages the young men and maidens, and they whirl through ball-rooms and trip into perdition with bad company. So of other amusements leading to vice. In the very last excesses of their sins, such persons still plead "indifference," for they do become indifferent to God, to conscience, to religion, to the soul, and to salvation. These "things indifferent" are the first steps toward wretchedness and ruin. Are they indifferent? They might be, one says. They might be, if the person kept himself within the bounds of innocence. But where are those limits? Tell us just where a lamb becomes a sheep, and we may draw the line. Nay, we cannot then. For these things are not to be considered simply per se (by themselves). Their tendency and influence must be taken into account. There is no such thing as drinking a glass of wine per se. It is not an act beginning and ending in itself. Who doubts that the tendency of card-playing is to gambling, and that of dancing is to reveling, and that of occasional drinking is to frequent drinking and to intoxication? Who denies that many moderate drinkers become excessive drunkards? Who denies that many young men begin by imitating moderate drinkers, and end in the excesses of drunkenness? Look into the social circle where the glass circulates, and mark those who drain it. Follow them through life. Into how many hovels must you go? Into how many crimes? Into how many prisons? Into how many dreary abodes to bear a drunkard to his grave? The statistics of the past are alarming. The present increase of social tippling must make them frightful. In what had they their beginning? In those "things indifferent." But are they indifferent? They cannot be if they lead to crime, to misery, to self-destruction. They cannot be if they insult God and blast the soul forever. Nay, they are matters of conscience. Ought I not to have a tender conscience in regard to my tastes, my appetites, my habits, and my influence? Grant that it be not a sin per se for me to take a glass of wine; ought I not to have a scrupulous conscience in regard to the influence of that glass upon others? If I take one in the drawing-room, they may take scores of them in the dram-shop. Surely, it is not a perverted conscience that reproves one for his evil influence. Then is it any perversion of conscience for one to feel that it is a sin to take the social glass? Surely not. Then total abstinence is based, not on expediency alone, but on conscience. Will the church allow itself to be moved and placed upon the ground of total indifference? Will Christians take that position? It is not solid ground. It has not an enlightened, rectified, and sanctified conscience as the substratum for a good foundation. It is but a quagmire of quicksand. The church cannot stand securely upon it. Yet its white spire may be seen. The tried and the tempted will see it when laboring at the helm to make their entrance into the port of safety. They will see it in the wrong place, it having been removed from the foundations built for it by Christ and his apostles. They will not know of the removal; and, with an eye upon it, they will make shipwreck upon the hidden sands of intemperance. Shall this be so? Shall our young men perish saying, "We began our career with the doctrine that our amusements and indulgences were 'things indifferent.' The church taught it to us. We were deluded by it; for it was so tenaciously held and so largely expounded. It made up the thunders that we heard, while the warning to abstain, lest we should injure ourselves and others, came in feeble whispers. Christians were ever saying, 'No harm, it is not a sin in itself,' but we scarcely heard the wise advice, 'Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth its color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.' We looked, we took, we drank, we gave, we were ruined." Shall they say this when writhing under the adder's sting? Not if the church stand on the ground of self-denial, and heed the doctrine upon which Paul insisted, "That no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way." "When ye sin so against the brethren, and wound the weak conscience, ye sin against Christ."—Sel. GRIEF banished by wine will come again,
And come with a deeper shade,
Leaving, perchance, on the soul a stain,
Which sorrow had never made.
Then fill not the tempting glass for me;
If mournful, I will not be mad;
Better sad, because we are sinful, be,
Than sinful because we are sad. —Sel. THERE is reason to believe that a large percentage of the drunkenness among men and women, is caused by physicians' prescriptions. That many obstinate cases have been brought about in this way can be proved beyond a doubt. There is, however, a marked improvement of late, even among physicians, who are giving the subject much thought, the result of which is favorable to the disuse of liquors in their practice. The eminent physician, Dr. Muzzy, says: "That alcohol is a poison to our organization, is evident from observation. It is that substance, in whatever form it may be, which, when applied to a living surface, discon-certs life's healthy movements. Such a poison is alcohol; such in all its forms, mix it as you may. It is never digested and converted into nourishment." Says another: "I have come to the conclusion that alcohol, as a medicine, may be wholly dispensed with, and the more speedy and thorough restoration of health, and the prolongation of life be insured." Baron Leibig also says, "Beer, wine, spirits, etc., furnish no element capable of entering into the composition of blood, muscular fiber, or any part which is the seat of the vital principle." These and many others furnish testimony which is indisputable, and it is to be hoped that soon all physicians will protest in like manner against the use of liquors in their practice.