Earlier text: TemperanceAn Interesting Letter.
By Editor
[From Review and Herald.] THE writer of the following letter, a gentleman residing near Calais, France, was a subscriber to our French paper, Les Signes des Temps, when the obituary notice of Bro. Andrews appeared therein. In that notice he saw the statement of the fact that Bro. A. was the author of a history of the Sabbath. He had read enough in the paper to create a desire to investigate further, and accordingly wrote to Bro. Whitney at Bale, inquiring where he could obtain a copy of said "History of the Sabbath." Bro. W. immediately sent him a copy, with a letter of explanation. This was in November last; and nothing more was heard from him till April 2, 1884, when Bro. W. received a letter from him, which Bro. Butler has kindly had translated for insertion in the Review. The letter speaks for itself; and our brethren will peruse it with the deepest interest:— ST. PIERRE-LES-CALAIS, 21st March, 1884.
ELD. B. L. WHITNEY.—Dear Sir: I received in due time your letter of the 19th of November last, and must indeed apologize for having delayed so long in acknowledging receipt thereof. I must also beg of you to accept my thanks for your kindness in sending me so promptly the "History of the Sabbath," when I had merely requested you to tell me where I might purchase it. As to the work itself, what shall I say? I must admit that when I first had it in my hands, I did not for a moment doubt that I should find some discrepancy or other, either in the scriptural or historical facts alleged, as would justify the change which had been made; viz., of transferring the Jewish Sabbath to the Christian Sabbath, or first day of the week. However, though biased to a certain extent, I had made up my mind to give the matter the most serious consideration; for even if I had been taught like many others, that the "glory of the seventh day had been transferred to the eighth day," if not by divine command, at least by the general practice of the primitive church, with the direct or indirect sanction of the apostles, it was my plain duty to ascertain the truth about that change. I therefore hastily perused the work with ever-growing interest and amazement; for hasty as was my first perusal, I clearly perceived that the arguments and facts brought forward were unanswerable. I then went carefully through it chapter by chapter,—yea, almost paragraph by paragraph, comparing texts and notes as far as lay in my power; for I was fully aware of the momentous issue at stake. It was the condemnation or vindication of the general practice of the Christian churches for ages past; it was, to me, the building up or pulling down of one of those pillars of truth, hoary with age, to which Christians of all denominations have agreed and which they have believed in with the most implicit faith! Was that practice to be reputed erroneous? Was that pillar of truth to which all, or more correctly, nearly all, agreed with so great unanimity to be shattered to the ground as a sacrilegious imposture? Was it really a fact that a pagan festival had been substituted by papal craft and power for one of God's immutable commandments, and was still receiving the practical sanction of Christendom? After the careful perusal of the above work, I could but say, Yea; so it was and so it is still! It is difficult to describe my mixed state of feelings after the vail had been lifted off my mind. At times I was angry that the truth had been revealed to me; for I thought it would have been better for my peace of mind and my usefulness always to have remained in the same condition of ignorance concerning that grievous imposture. Then again I was indignant that so gross a perversion of the truth had been tolerated and handed down to us by Christian pastors, even out of the great flood of light arising out of the 16th century. What a blessing it would have been if the Reformers had rightly appreciated the importance and vindicated the necessity of upholding the truth, the whole truth, at any cost! But, alas! these wishes of mine were selfish to the core. If the truth of the fourth commandment had then been adopted by the Reformed churches, there would now be no necessity for taking up the "cross;" there would be no doubts, no fears, no struggling in our hearts and lives for the sake of truth, no self-denying, no pecuniary sacrifice, no severing perchance of Christian ties and fellowship, no opprobrium for striving to uphold the purity of the doctrine. Such were part of, and still are to the present day, to a lesser degree it is true, my complex state of mind and feelings. But thanks be to God that through Christ he has given me the victory over self, and that, with the help of his Spirit, I have determined at any cost to follow the dictates of his holy word. Since the 8th of December last, I have kept the "Sabbath" of the Lord on his own appointed day, but up to now I am deeply grieved to say such is not the case with the other members of my household. I have reasoned with them, and given them proof after proof that the substitution of the observance of the seventh day to the first day of the week is warranted neither by Scripture nor the practice of the primitive church; so far my efforts have not met with any apparent success. The arch-deceiver is hard at work making them still believe that provided one day in seven is kept holy to the Lord, it is immaterial whether the day thus set apart is the "seventh" or "first" day of the week, and that we should follow the general practice of the Christian church. I am now leaving the matter in the hands of the Lord, and I know he will answer my prayers, though he may try my faith by delaying the fulfillment of my request. And I am deeply thankful to be able to say that since I have kept the Sabbath I have not only had clearer views of the obligations and sanctity of that day, but that I have a better knowledge and clearer insight of many other spiritual truths. I have realized in a deeper measure than I ever did before, the heinousness of sin in the sight of God, and at the same time my dependence upon the all-atoning merits of Christ's sacrifice on the cross. And I now enjoy, after years of struggling, the sweet testimony of the Spirit testifying to my spirit that I am a child of God. Of course it is not only because I have of late kept the real Sabbath day that I now enjoy a greater sense of God's favor through Christ; but it may have been in his providence one of those means which has led to the result. But it is certain that my faith in mere human teaching is now at an end, however excellent, humanly speaking, the teacher may be. I would test all by the light of Scripture, and whatever is not in accordance with Jehovah's revealed word I would reject. Such perchance would not have been the case even a short time ago, but I have been made to see that errors may be winked at, even by God-fearing people, though by what principle they do so I cannot fathom. Of course I allude to those whose knowledge has enabled them to discern truth from falsehood. Doubtless they are sincere with themselves in presuming that the good which accrues even in upholding error, justifies this conduct; but it is not sincerity of purpose which can ever change an error or falsehood into truth. As Tennyson so beautifully and emphatically says:—
"That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies.
That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright.
But a lie which is half a truth is a harder matter to fight." You are now waging that fight, and I say, "God speed you." There are many difficulties in the way,—ignorance, prejudice, pride, religious interestedness,—and to contend against these wisdom from on high is indispensable. But thank God, in waging such a warfare you are not bound to succeed, though you are compelled to obey; and if you labor faithfully in the vineyard of the Lord, with an eye single to his glory, you may safely be assured of his approval, though your labors may not apparently be crowned with abundant success. It is not those only who have won many souls who shall be commended at the great day, though doubtless it is a blessed privilege to be so highly favored. Paul may plant, Appollos may water; but God alone gives the increase. May our daily prayer be, Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven; and methinks the gracious answer would soon be vouchsafed. It may not be improper to add that this brother sent, in the foregoing letter, $20 for all the leading publications on the different points of our faith. May the Lord of truth and righteousness guide him into all truth, and lead him by his counsel. Men's Hearts Failing them for Fear.
BISHOP FOSTER, in the Christian Advocate, says: "One cannot long sojourn in Europe without feeling how exceedingly sensitive all political relations are. The quiet is never assuring. There are so many colliding interests among the different powers, and so many internal questions, that any moment may culminate in a wide and ruinous conflagration. The very air pulsates with danger. No power can move or even silently grow without disturbing all the rest. India is feverish, Egypt is unrest, Turkey is a prey around which the vultures are gathered, Greece is dissatisfied, Austria, Germany, France, Italy, and England are distrustful of each other. The Nihilists, Communists, and other guilds of destructionists are planning and scheming general chaos; and the nations, from India to the Isle of Britain, are liable at any new complications to break forth into the flames of war. There is so much at stake, such vast interests of civilization and human advancement, political and religious, that it cannot help but cause great anxiety with all thoughtful observers, as well as make uneasy all heads that wear crowns. What will come next? is a question propounded every day over all these uneasy surfaces of the globe; and the only rest to be found is in faith in an overruling power, which will somehow, out of the many alarming possibilities, work to the general progress and welfare." He who is false to the present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will see the effects when the weaving of a life-time is unraveled. Missionary Success in Madagascar
During the first four months of 1883 the Norwegian Missionary Engh, in Madagascar, baptized 150 persons, among them a number of slaves, whom he had as good as despaired of for ten years, because they were accustomed deliberately to go to sleep under his preaching. Now, they have come of their own accord to be instructed and baptized, having been awakened and led to it by the very preaching which they had seemed to ignore. The Home Circle.
By Independent
In the nurse's arms one night,
In the balmy month of June,
Lay a baby, spent and tired
With crying for the moon.
And so softly we smiled,
Said, "Poor, silly little child!
He'll know better soon." Vainly had he tried to leap
Up toward the glowing sky,
And because kind love restrained
He could only fret and cry;
And we said, and proudly smiled,
"He'll know better, silly child!
Better, by-and-by." Will he? Please to tell me when;
I don't think it will be soon.
If he's like most other men
He will always want the moon.
As a boy, he'll want the toys
And ponies of far richer boys;
These will be his moon. As a youth, be in distress
For some beauty rich and fair,
For some furniture or dress,
For some toy he counteth rare.
And far older men will say,
"He'll grow wiser every day;
Wiser, unaware." As a man, he'll sigh for wealth,
Long for power, hope for fame;
And because he gets them not,
Idly murmur, wrongly blame,
Crying still for some great boon
Far above him as the moon;
Babe and man the same. Oh, 'tis well some mighty arm
Is around us everywhere.
Many a fall we all should have
But for that strong, loving care;
For life has no greater boon
Than the love that whispers "No,"
And that will not let us go
When crying for the moon. Babies' Rights.
By Nellie Burns
I CHANCED to call at the house of a lady recently who had just been elected as a delegate to a woman's rights convention. She is an earnest advocate of securing to women their denied political rights, and was very enthusiastic in her conversation on the subject on that occasion. While she descanted freely on her favorite theme, on the coming convention and the work she proposed doing, there came frequently to her parlor the sound of a baby's cry. At last my mother-heart could no longer silently endure this infantile wail, so I asked the lady if the voice we heard was not that of her baby. She said it was; that the baby had taken cold, and was feeling a little cross, but that her nurse would give her the best of care. She then told me how fortunate she had been in securing the services of a good, respectable girl to take care of her baby. After her trying experiences with different nurses, she considered this a rare good fortune, and she could now give more time to her social duties and pleasures. She spoke also of the sacrifices of social pleasures she had been compelled to make on account of the inefficient help she had had in the care of her baby. As she sat talking in a most complacent manner, the continued fretting of the baby was constantly heard, and there arose in my heart a strong protest against baby wrongs, and I went away in deep sympathy, not with woman's rights, but with the rights of babies. This lady was the mother of five children, and she was a comparative stranger to every one of them. As soon as they were old enough to leave the nursery, they spent most of their time on the street. The mother did not interest herself in them sufficiently to learn how or where they spent their time, and those she had hired to take charge of them were glad to get rid of them, and did not care much where they went. The husband of this lady was a wealthy banker, and their home was furnished with all the comforts and luxuries that his means warranted; and yet I had a far deeper feeling of pity for their children than I had for those in humble homes, who came directly under their mother's loving care and guidance. Alas! I thought, how many babies in wealthy homes all over our land are thrust into the care of strangers, and become practically motherless? Would there not be less need of so much work in the various moral reforms, if mothers could be induced to fit themselves for the work, and then take the early training of their children into their own hands, and so form their characters in the start that they will not need to be reformed in after years? The seeds of many of these evils are sown in childhood, and even in babyhood, and nothing short of a mother's love and a mother's watchful care can throw around the child the proper influences, and rightly aid in moulding its earliest impressions. It must be remembered that at its birth the child knows absolutely nothing. Its own mother is no more to it than any one else, and it would just as willingly become the child of any other woman as its natural mother. On its first feeling of discomfort it begins to cry. Some one comes to its rescue, and it is quieted. As its cries are repeated again and again, and the same one comes to its relief, that face becomes familiar, and it very soon singles it out as the one to whom it must look for solace in all times of need or grief. The baby heart very early goes out to the one who watches over it and attends to its wants, and no one is worthy to fill the position of a mother who does not sufficiently prize her baby's earliest affections to be willing to do the work necessary for winning it. It is a sad fact that so many mothers fail to appreciate the importance of giving their own society to their little ones, of training the young minds themselves, of caring for them and attending to their wants with their own hands. These are sacred duties devolving upon every mother, and to the true mother they are sacred privileges. They are the only means of securing the perfect love of the child, and serve to increase and strengthen her own love for it. In order to rid herself of the burden of care and be free to enjoy the pleasures of a society life, many a mother places her baby in the care of a nurse, often an inexperienced and careless young girl, and thus eases her conscience with the thought that, though she is absent from it most of the time, it is not neglected. Is it any wonder that, as the child grows older, a feeling of estrangement often exists between them, and the mother is made to feel that her child does not love her as it ought? How can she expect it to love her? What has she done to deserve, much less to win its love? There is wisely implanted in the heart of the mother a natural love for her offspring from its very birth, a love given expressly to invite her to care for and protect it, and designed to be matured and strengthened, instead of dwarfed and suppressed. But it must be remembered that there is no natural love toward the mother on the child's part. She has got to win its love, or else never possess it. True, as the child grows older, he may receive a theoretical idea of what his duty to his parents demands of him, and there may be an outward show of such a feeling, but it does not spring from a genuine affection of the heart. As the youth approaches early manhood, how many a mother discovers in wonder and grief that she is fast losing her control and influence over him, and learns all too late that at this period of his life the power of love is the "one thing needful," to aid her in guiding his feet in the pathway of virtue, and in keeping him from entering the many by-ways of vice. The question is frequently asked, why so many of our greatest and best men rise from homes of poverty. I think no small portion of the secret lies in the fact that in such homes the mother has full charge of her children, and they are watched over and cared for by one who has the deepest interest in their welfare. Could that feeling of love and sympathy, so strongly characterizing the relation between President Garfield and his mother, have ever existed had she not by being his earliest companion and tenderly caring for him her own self won his entire heart while it was tender and impressible? And then, with a true mother's spirit of devotion and self-sacrifice, she retained it through all the years of his matured manhood. Many great men have ascribed their success in life to their mother's influence; but they had mothers who patiently and willingly toiled in their behalf in order to secure that influence which they afterwards so judiciously used in advancing their interests. To the young mother who has been raised in luxury and entirely unaccustomed to work, the care of her baby may seem a task greater than she is able to perform. But let her remember that "love lightens labor," and the good result of her self-sacrificing work, and the rich harvest she shall reap by-and-by, may be far greater and richer than she would now dare to hope. Besides, her reward will not all be reserved for the future. The true mother finds an enjoyment in the presence and care of her little one, in listening to its baby prattle, in watching the strengthening of its tiny limbs and the unfolding of its mind, in hearing its first attempts at speech, in the vain effort to utter the name of mamma, that none but a mother can ever know. And as she so often bends over the helpless form, and looks down into the wandering, innocent eyes, how many lessons of forbearance, of patience, and child-like confidence are implanted in her own breast—just the requirements needed in the development of her noblest womanhood. All the other work pertaining to the household may be trusted to the care of servants. But the mother of the baby should regard the work of supplying its wants, of studying its nature, of directing the earliest developments of its mind in the proper channel, of shielding it from all hurtful influences, and, through loving attention, of drawing out the baby affections and binding its little heart to hers, as a welcome duty—a prerogative exclusively her own. If the mind be properly cultivated, it will produce a storehouse full of precious fruits; but if neglected, it will be overrun with noxious and poisonous plants. Benares.
By Little Helpers
BENARES is counted the most sacred city of the Hindus, and, in the traditions of the country, is said to be as old as creation. Every year, multitudes gather here to bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges upon whose banks it is situated. The immediate margin is chiefly occupied with flights of steps called ghauts, by means of which the devotees descend to the water. Sometimes, as many as one hundred thousand pilgrims are found in this sacred place. Once, during an eclipse of the moon, forty persons were trampled to death in the crowded streets. We are glad, however, to tell you that the influence of the place is slowly waning. European science and Christian teaching are taking effect upon the public mind; and the present generation have a little less confidence in the efficacy of the sacred waters than their fathers had. Let us hope that many of their children will go for cleansing to the fountain Jesus has opened.—Little Helpers. A FEW days since I took a train for a western trip. I walked the entire aisle, carrying a heavy satchel and lunch basket, without finding a vacant seat. I retraced my steps to where a bright girl, well dressed, occupied a seat by herself and had another reversed for her packages. Putting my hand upon the latter, I said, is this seat occupied? "Yes, madam," she said, in a very pert, decided manner. A gentleman back of her said it was not occupied, and that no person had a right to four seats. I could only go back to the door and wait for the conductor. It seems that this miss was traveling with her parents. They sat opposite, and part of the time her father sat with her. I overheard her recountal of my application for, and her refusal of, a seat. Judge of my surprise to hear her father praise her for her cuteness, and say he would trust her to make her way in the world. This party were well dressed, and probably would have been insulted if any one had suggested they were ill-bred. No doubt the miss had been taught not to eat with a knife, or drink tea from a saucer, or to shut the door rudely in a stranger's face. In this instance, however, was she not only rude, but had she not exceeded the limits of her rights? On another occasion, six or eight young ladies, going to a county seat to a teacher's examination, entered a passenger car about two o'clock in the morning, when all the passengers were sleeping. They came in laughing and giggling, one remarking boisterously, "this evidently is a sleeper." Then all laughed at the joke, while rude puns and jests and loud talk continued until every passenger was aroused. Then one said, "Nell, you were mistaken, this is not a sleeper." During the hour they rode, they were not quiet one moment, and probably every passenger doubted their ability to mould the character of children. Had a certificate of proficiency depended upon our vote, they would have been sent back to mother and tutor for training in politeness, at least. In another instance, a bright young miss, about sixteen, was going West with her parents. By nine o'clock at night she had made the acquaintance of several fellow-passengers, among them some young men. Her frequent sallies of wit and sharp repartee interested those with whom she conversed, but those beyond her circle were greatly annoyed. Whatever was her motive, I cannot judge, but she became more and more bold as the night wore away. She passed up and down the aisle, often talking to parties at the opposite end of the car. Doing all manner of strange things that prevented the possibility of any person sleeping. Among other things, she made the acquaintance of the brakeman, who was a fine-looking young man. To cap the climax, she asked him for his cap, and putting it on, she wondered if she would not make a good-looking brakeman. Then she took his lantern, went through the car, calling out the stations and even putting the lantern in the faces of those she thought were asleep. Her parents laughed at all this as if she were doing something very smart. Now, my dear girls, we like to have you understand American freedom and to know its fullest meaning, for women as well as men. Remember, though, that freedom is not license, and that under all circumstances we should have a respect for other people. Even the humblest, have rights we ought to consider. It might have been very well for this gay young lady to have entertained a company at home, or at the house of a friend, with impromptu theatricals. On that train were invalids seeking health in the West, weary mothers, and sleepy children. All needed the snatches of rest hard to obtain in the cars, and she had no right to amuse herself at their expense. In every place in life a true lady will never forget true politeness, which respects the comfort, pleasure, and rights of others.—Woman's Tribune. WHAT is my opinion of fast young men? It isn't as good as it might be, and still it is better than the subject merits. I sat at my window the other day, and I noticed four or five "bloods" standing in front of a saloon from which they had just emerged, wiping their lips. I knew they were all society men, and presently I saw a pretty young lady of their "set" coming down the street toward them. Now, thought I, if that girl had the proper nerve, she would pass those fellows by as she would any other set of loafers, whose character was as good as theirs, but whose social position by accident of birth was less elevated. I wagered with myself, however, that she would not do it, and I won the wager. She spoke to them as sweetly and womanly as if every man in the lot was as pure and good as she was. If they had been women, instead of men, and she had known them, how quickly she would have cut them from the list of acquaintances, and how haughtily she would have snubbed them! These fast young men frequent saloons, loaf about their front doors, spend an evening in a gambling den, associate with disreputable men, only removed from the criminal class by "influence," get drunk as often as they please, swear like a mad teamster, have more or less "lady friends" they dare not recognize in public places, and so on down a long list of fashionable eccentricities, and yet they have the gall to apply for places of trust in the confidence and respect of decent women and men, and the startling part of it is, they are accepted as fit associates for mothers, for daughters, for sons, for husbands, for fathers. They may say they are not bad at heart, but are merely "sowing their wild oats." Conceded; but, in the name of all that is good and respectable, why are they not excluded from homes until this so-called necessary "wild oats" period is past? "Wild oats" is a very contagious kind of vegetable, and because a few must sow them, it does not follow that the seed must be spread broadcast and grow up into a crop of ruined homes, dishonored lives, and eternal destruction!—Sel. A religious cotemporary says very justly: "The idea of 'respectable employment' is the rock upon which thousands split, and shipwreck themselves and all who depend on them. All employments are respectable that bring honest gain. The laborer, who is willing to turn his hand to anything, is as respectable as the draper store-tender. Indeed, the man who is ready to work whenever work offers, whatever it may be, rather than lie idle and beg, is a far more respectable man than one who turns up his nose at hard labor, wearies his friends with his complaints because he can get nothing to do, pockets his benefactions without thankfulness, and goes on from day to day a useless, lazy grumbler." Progress in Material and Spiritual Things
A COTEMPORARY remarks that George Washington, the first president of the United States, never saw a steamboat; John Adams, the second president of the United States, never saw a railroad; Andrew Jackson, the seventh president of the United States, knew nothing about the telegraph; and Abraham Lincoln, the sixteenth president, never dreamed of such a thing as a telephone. These facts are strikingly suggestive of the progress the world is making in material things. The instructed mind sees in them a moral and spiritual signification, as they bring distant families of men into closer relations, and help to establish "The Parliament of man, the Federation of the world." THE SABBATH QUESTION.
By Editor
Assorted Package No. 1. Price, 10c.
Which Day Do You Keep, and Why—Who Changed the Sabbath—The Sabbath in the New Testament—Elihu on the Sabbath—God's Memorial—Sunday Not the Sabbath—Why Not Found Out Before—One Hundred Bible Facts about the Sabbath. Assorted Package No. 2. Price, 25c.
This package contains all the tracts in package No. 1, and the following in addition:—
Seven Reasons for Sunday-keeping Examined—The Ten Commandments Not Abolished—The Seventh Part of Time—The Definite Seventh Day—Perfection of the Ten Commandments—Address to the Baptists—The Sunday Law. OTHER WORKS ON THE SABBATH.
The Truth Found.—A comprehensive exposition of the nature and obligation of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment. 64 pp.............................10c
Sunday Seventh-day Examined.—A critical examination of the claim that Sunday is the true seventh day of the fourth commandment. 88 pp..........10c
Brown's Review of Gilfillan on the Sabbath Question. 64 pp..........................10c
Appeal to the Baptists.—An address from the Seventh-day Baptists to their first-day Baptist brethren, urging a restoration of the Bible Sabbath from the stand-point of Baptist principles of argument and interpretation. 48 pp.............10c
Eleven Sermons on the Sabbath and Law. 228 pp. 25c
Vindication of the True Sabbath.—By a former missionary of the Presbyterian Church.............10c
Morality of the Sabbath.—Showing that the Sabbath commandment, being found in the midst of the nine acknowledged moral precepts, is, like the others, moral in its nature. 96 pp....................15c
Testimony of the Fathers of the first three centuries concerning the Sabbath and First-day. A candid examination of both sides of the question. 112 pp....15c Assorted Package No. 3. Price, 10c.
The Coming of the Lord—Is the End Near—Can We Know—The Signs of the Times—The Judgment—Without Excuse—The Second Advent. Assorted Package No. 4. Price, 25c.
Containing package No. 3, and the following in addition:—
The Millennium—The Present Truth—The Third Angel's Message—Exposition of Matthew Twenty-four. OTHER WORKS ON THE SECOND ADVENT.
Our Faith and Hope.—A series of ten sermons on the coming and kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. 198 pp....................................................................25c
Second Coming of Christ.—An exposition of Matthew 24th chapter. 64 pp..........10c
Three Messages of Rev. 14.—Showing the nature and character of the warning messages designed to prepare the world for the last great Judgment. 96 pp.......10c
The Saints' Inheritance, or the Earth Made New. 82 pp.................................10c
The Seven Trumpets. An exposition of the symbols of Rev. 8 and 9. 96 pp...10c
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. Assorted Package No. 5. Price, 10c.
Is Man Immortal—Thoughts for the Candid—End of the Wicked—The Rich Man and Lazarus—Departing and Being with Christ—Milton on the State of the Dead. OTHER WORKS ON MAN'S NATURE.
The Hope of the Gospel.—What is it, and when will it be consummated? 80 pp...................10c
Matter and Spirit.—An argument on the relation of matter and spirit, and the dependence of thought upon organization. 66 pp.........................................10c
History of the Doctrine of the Soul.—The belief in its immortality traced among all races and peoples to the present time. 186 pp., cloth...................75c
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. Assorted Package No. 6. Price, 25c.
The Plan of Redemption—The Sufferings of Christ—The Sanctuary of the Bible—Scripture References—The Spirit of Prophecy—Spiritualism a Satanic Delusion—Samuel and the Witch of Endor—The End of the Wicked—The Two Thrones.
Address, SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Oakland, Cal. —Baltimore has thirty-six Catholic Churches. —A Chinese Presbyterian Church was organized and incorporated in Los Angeles, Cal., April 29. —Delegates of various Swiss cantons are discussing the propriety of suppressing the Salvation Army. —Religious revivals are the order of the day in the districts in England recently shaken by an earthquake. —The eighth General Conference of the British Evangelical Alliance will be held in Copenhagen from the 24th to the 31st of August next. —The Methodists are to have a centennial celebration next fall. In 1784 they numbered 15,000 communicants; now they report nearly 4,000,000. —The Baptist General Convention of California has voted in favor of locating their proposed college in Oakland, and a committee has been appointed to secure a site. —The Santa Cruz (Cal.) Sentinel severely criticises the Congregational pastor of that city for the expression of thankfulness, in a public prayer, for the presence of so many Chinese in the community. —A Presbyterian minister said in an address before the Sunday-school convention in Oakland, last week: "It used to be taught that there are infants in hell not a span long; but that day has passed." —A Stockton minister asserts that a young man of that city went to Heaven a few weeks ago on the strength of impressions made upon his mind in Sunday-school twenty years ago; yet he had never made a profession of Christianity, and the only evidence of his "triumph" was a death-bed scene, when he made the sign of a cross on his fingers and said the Saviour died for him. According to this theology, a self-sacrificing Christian life goes for naught. —The Sunday-school Times has a correspondent who finds fault with the International Lessons for 1885, because about half of them are from the Old Testament. He complains that they are "Christless lessons," those which do not point the pupil to Christ—and asks, "Is there no remedy?" To this appeal the Times gives the following very pertinent reply: "In the second half of the year there are such Old Testament lessons as the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal; Elijah at Horeb; Elisha raising to life the Shunammite woman's son; Naaman the leper hesitating to accept God's simple method of cleansing; the preaching of Jonah; the prayer of Hezekiah; and the Messianic prophecies of Isaiah. No opportunities of finding Christ in these lessons. Only think of it! 'Is there no remedy?' Indeed there is, and a very simple remedy. Let the teacher be filled with the Holy Ghost, like Peter and Stephen and Paul and Apollos, when they sought and found the Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures, and proclaimed him accordingly unto their hearers. Very many teachers who have now been at their work from five to forty years are finding the Christ in, and teaching him out of, such Old Testament lessons as these which are selected for 1885. And no teacher could ever hope to be as effective in showing the Christ out of the New Testament only, as out of the New Testament and the Old." —There are encouraging reports for the past year, from the Methodist missions in South America, and some indications that the Catholic power is considerably weakened in some States. In the province of Buenos Ayers there was much excitement over an effort, in the Congress of the Republic by the clerical party, to secure a modification of the national educational law, so as to force Roman Catholic instruction on all pupils in the schools. The measure was promptly rejected. The President of the Republic attended the services of the mission one Sunday, provoking a loud outcry from the clericals. Says Mr. Wood, the superintendent, "Our converts are mostly from the humble classes; but men of the highest rank are among the hearers." The increase in contributions over those of two years ago was fifty per cent. In the province of Entre Rios, across the river from Santa Fe, a constitutional convention was held, at which a new constitution was adopted, and the capital was moved from the Uruguay to the Parana. The constitution also disestablishes, as far as the province is concerned, the Roman Catholic Church. This is the beginning, it is believed, of the end of official religion in the Argentine States. He says that, when the constitutional convention was "discussing the Church and State question, the ecclesiastical authorities of the diocese telegraphed to them, in peremptory terms, not to adopt any change. This was regarded as impertinence and usurpation. One member moved that the telegram be burned in the midst of the assembly. It was finally ordered to be passed out to the door-keeper." —Religious liberty is not always and in all places enjoyed in Italy. A London paper tells how the authorities of Lodi, a town of 18,000 inhabitants, interfered with services held under the auspices of the Evangelical Continental Society. The agents of the society hired a small theater; but evening services were forbidden there on the plea of the danger of fire. Then an adjoining room on the ground-floor was taken. Small gatherings were held there in perfect quiet. But when an evangelist was stationed in Lodi, and the services were held more regularly and with greater publicity, disturbances arose. A noisy crowd gathered around the door, and a brigadier and policemen entered. The former asked a number of questions which he had no right to put, and then withdrew, but without trying to calm the tumult within and without. On complaining to the authorities, the evangelist was assured of protection for the future; but on the following Sunday the disturbance was far worse. The evangelist was so injured by a blow in the stomach as to be compelled to take to his bed, and the authorities were not to be found. On again complaining, the evangelist was told that the sub-prefect had ordered that no more meetings should be held, whether by day or by night, in the present building. Another place must be found; but the authorities knew that, after the disturbances, it was not possible to secure another place. In Pisa similar disturbances have occurred, at the instigation of atheists.—Ex.