We live in a time when much is being said on the question of health. This, to all, is a practical matter, and every one has occasion to rejoice at the discussion of so important a subject. The world is filling up just now with medical pretenders and quacks, darkening counsel with their high-sounding terms, and confusing the minds of such as desire the truth. But above it all may be heard the voice of true wisdom, saying, "This is the way, walk in it." Yes, thank God! the true light does shine, and the gospel of health is being proclaimed.
The inhabitants of this world, like the crazy old ball which they inhabit, are sickly and diseased; and every genuine utterance in the department of hygiene, to the truly wise, will be as the "leaves of that goodly tree," which heal the nations. It is now no longer a question whether we can render more acceptable service to the Father of spirits in a condition of health and strength, than while languidly pining under wasting disease;—no, none but the veriest fanatic would say that a person laboring under the pressure of aches and pains and rheums, could serve God as well as the one in health.
Sickness should ever teach us that some law has been transgressed. And is there any other way for the sick to get well, and keep well, than by returning to the obedience of Nature's laws, and sinning no more? To this end how important that saying of one of the ancients, "Know thyself." We find a hint at this injunction in the words of the Psalmist—"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made." What a stupendous piece of architecture is man! What a combination, what mechanism, what arrangement, what adaptedness in all his parts. Truly he is, as inspiration declares, "wonderfully made." And is not that individual better prepared to intelligently worship the Creator, who has some knowledge of his physical structure? "God formed man of the dust of the ground." Yes, he is made with bones and skin, and muscles and nerves, and tendons and ligaments, and arteries and veins, and as David declared, he is "fearfully made." And "God made man upright;" he was perfectly developed—mentally and physically—made in the image of God. And can we, creatures in God's image, transgress with impunity, and still expect the radiant light of Heaven to shine down on our souls? Let us not, as the Apostle says, "deceive ourselves by false reasoning." James i, 22, [Mack. Trans.] It is our wisdom to understand our organism, to "know ourselves" in a hygienic and physical, as well as moral, sense, and not precipitate ourselves into the arms of that hydra, Disease; but if we have sinned foolishly and ignorantly, make atonement for those acts by returning to God in the way of his moral and physical laws, and then shall we have a heart to pray for the "health of His countenance to rest upon us."
Brethren and sisters, let us all contribute our mite, in precept and practice, to this great work of Health Reform. Let us conform willingly, not stubbornly, to a course of life which will secure to us that greatest of earthly gifts,—HEALTH. This blessing we may all have in its fullness. Nature, in her mysterious laboratory, has agencies, such as air and water (blessed therapeutics!) which will make her obedient children as healthy as the giant trees of the forest. And if by a departure from her wholesome teachings we have incurred her penalties in our bodies, let us return with repentant steps to the arms of our all-loving Father, and Nature will set her potent arm to the task, and eliminate from the system those buds of disease which are the plague of the life.
Let us as a people look at this matter in the light of Christian obligation, and consecrate ourselves fully to the service of the God of health. Let our diet and exercise and rest be in accordance with the revealed and unerring law of our natures; let us live according to the principles of physiology and hygiene. Then will bodily vigor gradually return, clouds will be lifted from the mind, hope will be like a sunbeam, and our faith, thus mightily quickened, will lay hold of joys to come.
Our New Publications.
By R. F. C.
THERE is now a great opportunity to do good by spreading these works among the people. The work on health, entitled, How to Live, is needed in every family, for the benefit of all. We all need the instruction contained in it.
The letters of Sr. White to her children, contained in the Appeal to Youth, are worth far more, to parents and children, than the price of the book, to say nothing of the other deeply interesting matter it contains. The price is only sixty cents, neatly bound and lettered; and it is worthy of being preserved and read and re-read.
Sabbath Readings is a collection of the most interesting moral stories for the young I have ever met with. It is a book well calculated to interest the young and make the Sabbath hours both pleasant and profitable.
Then our recently published pamphlets, on Sanctification, The Commandment to Restore and Build Jerusalem, The Wicked Dead, End of the Wicked, Answers to Objections to the Advent Faith, and others, are very much needed by those who desire to know the truth, and to be sanctified by it. They should be circulated. They are too valuable to lie on the shelves of the Publishing House. Some of them have cost much labor and research, which should not be lost; and it will not. That on the Commandment to restore and build Jerusalem is exceedingly valuable in confirming the true dates, one of the main pillars of the present truth. Those Adventists whose confidence in the past movement, or time message, has been shaken by the tinkers that have been trying to mend that work of the Lord, should have this work. The old landmarks are sustained, and, consequently, the present truth is with no others than those who believe the third angel's message.
Brethren, as you value the truth yourselves, and would show your gratitude to God for giving you the light, engage anew in the work of circulating our invaluable publications. R. F. C.
NOTE.—That is right Bro. Cottrell! The wants of the people have been considered by careful thinkers,149and much labor has been expended to prepare these, and to procure others which are now offered at liberal prices. Every Sabbath-keeping family should have the works advertised in our catalogue, that they may read and practice themselves, and then be charitable, and lend for their neighbors' benefit.
The books published at this Office are well adapted to the understanding of our younger brethren and sisters, many of whom in their various avocations, need to be well prepared to give a reason of their hope with meekness and fear. Come then, young friends, interest yourselves in this matter. Get these books, and after you get them become familiar with them, and may God bless them to your good.
Send in your orders, you families of farmers. The long evenings are coming on when an hour each evening can be most profitably spent while one of your number reads to the others. And here is company too for our lonely brethren and sisters who do not have the privilege of meeting with those of like faith.
Send in your orders, friends, and the writer, who acts as clerk in the Book-room, will respond to your calls with pleasure. A. P. V.
Prayer
By Payson
PRAYER.—We may judge of the state of our hearts by the earnestness of our prayers. You cannot make a rich man beg like a poor man; you cannot make a man that is full cry for food like one that is hungry: no more will a man who has a good opinion of himself cry for mercy like one who feels that he is a poor and miserable sinner.—Payson.
Names of the Days of the Week.
E. E. wants to know "When, and by whom, were the days named as we have them now, Sunday, Monday, &c.?"
Ans. The different days of the weekly cycle receive their names from the old Anglo Saxon divinities. Thus,
SUNDAY. Anglo Saxon, Sunnesday; from sunnan, sun, and dag, day; so called because the day was anciently dedicated to the sun, or its worship.
MONDAY. Saxon, Monandag, moon and day. Day of the moon; day sacred to the moon.
TUESDAY. Saxon, Tuesdag; from Tiwes, or Tuisco, the Mars of our ancestors, the deity that presided over combats, litigation, and strife. Hence Tuesday was court-day, assize-day, the day for combat, or commencing strife. Mars was the god of war.
WEDNESDAY. Anglo Saxon, Wodensdag; i. e., Woden's day. The god Woden of our Saxon ancestors is supposed to correspond to Mercury of the ancients. Mercury was the interpreter, or messenger, of the gods, and was called the god of eloquence and commerce. In mythology he is represented with wings on his feet. See Acts xiv, 12.
THURSDAY. Anglo Saxon, Thunresdag, from thunres, or thunor, thunder, and dag, day. [Danish, Thorsdag, Thor's day.] It was so called because it was originally consecrated to Thor, the god of thunder, and corresponds to the Jove of the Greeks and Romans. Jove, or Jupiter, was their supreme deity.
FRIDAY. Saxon, Frigedag, from Frigga, or Fria, the Venus of the North, the same as Juno. This deity was the goddess of marriage, the wife of Woden, and in mythology was supposed to preside over marriages, and protect married women.
SATURDAY. Saxon, Saternesdag, Saturn's day. Saturn was one of the oldest and principal heathen deities, the son of Cœlus and Terra (heaven and earth), and the father of Jupiter. Saturn corresponds to the Greek divinity, Chronos, Time.
Does this meet your wishes, E. E.? G.
The "Chief Resurrection" and the Second Death.
By R. F. Cottrell
I HEARD a man preach who denies the resurrection of the wicked dead. Speaking of the first resurrection, of Rev. xx, to evade a difficulty into which a false theory had led him, he called it the "chief anastasis." A first resurrection implies a second; but to avoid this idea, he called it the chief or principle resurrection, as the one in which the chief portion of the saints will arise, some having previously arisen, at the time of the resurrection of Christ.
Well, thought I, but what about that "second death," mentioned in the same verse? Is it a death of secondary importance, and not the chief death? No; that is not the idea. The speaker said it was called the second death, because it was the second time in which God cleanses the earth by the death of his enemies. The text reads:
"And they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power." Rev. xx, 4-6.
This language is plain, and easy to be understood. The blessed and holy rise first. They live a thousand years with Christ, before "the rest of the dead" live again. And they are exempt from the second death. In the first resurrection the righteous only are raised; in the second, the rest of the dead, i. e., the wicked. The righteous are not subject to the second death, but the wicked, those who live not again until the thousand years are finished, will die a second time. The righteous die but once, the wicked twice.
But the position of our speaker was, that when the wicked are once dead they will never rise. Therefore, to get around the idea of a second resurrection, he made the first resurrection first in importance, or chief; while the second death is second in the order of time, instead of inferior in importance. At the close of the thousand years, he said there would be a great revolt of those who had been in subjection to Christ during that time. That they would compass the camp of the saints and the beloved city, and that fire would come down from God out of heaven and devour them. This, said he, is the second death. It is the second time God cleanses the earth by death; the first time at the second advent, (from which, according to his theory, enough escape to lay the foundation of another great rebellion,) and the second at the close of the thousand years.
It is true that the Greek word rendered first may, like the English word, mean first in the order of time, or first in importance or chief. But the sense of the text requires that we should understand it in the first sense. There is a first resurrection. Of course there will be a second, a resurrection of those over whom the second death will have power.
Again, if it is only those who inhabit the earth during the thousand years that are subject to the second death, as the speaker taught, what means the promise to the overcomer in the Smyrna church, that he should "not be hurt of the second death." Rev. ii, 11. Whether this was addressed to a literal church in Asia, or to the second stage of the universal church under a symbolic name, its members are all, long since dead. Why the promise that they shall not be hurt of the second death, if no one is to die a second time? If any are to die a second time, then there is to be a resurrection of the wicked. And if there is to be a resurrection of the wicked, the first resurrection, that of the righteous, is first in the order of time; and those who do not rise at that time, will "live again" at the close of the thousand years, only to suffer their just deserts and die the second death.
Then, is it not better to hold with the apostle, that "there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust?" Acts xxiv, 15.
R. F. COTTRELL.
Report from Bro. Loughborough.
By John Norton Loughborough
After meeting at West Union, Bro. Chapman carried me some ten miles to Bro. David Seeley's, at Fayette; and on Tuesday, Aug. 1, Bro. Seeley carried me twenty-eight miles to Independence Station, where I took the cars for Waterloo, at which place I arrived at five o'clock, and found Bro. Glover the Elder of the church waiting for me at the depot. Tarried at Waterloo till sixth-day, writing, visiting, and learning as far as possible the cause and the facts of the trial in that church. Sixth-day, Aug. 4, Bro. Glover carried me on sixteen miles to Laporte City.
Sabbath morning, Aug. 5, had a violent attack of summer complaint, which I feared would unfit me for labor there. At 10 o'clock, however, I went to the place of meeting, and preached twice that day. And as I found some of the seeds of the Iowa rebellion remaining there, I tried to give them some of my experience on the subject of the Gifts, as I had seen them manifested among Seventh-day Adventists.
First-day I preached twice to attentive congregations, and then returned sixteen miles to Waterloo with Bro. Jackson, and had a meeting from 9 o'clock P. M., till 4 o'clock the next morning, on matters of difficulty in the church. I found that some had made injudicious moves in the past which called for a vote of censure, which was passed, and matters left for further development.
After getting four hours' sleep, I returned on Monday, sixteen miles to Laporte, and spent the evening till 10 o'clock conversing with those who wished to know something of the history of the rise of the third angel's message, and the course of those who led out in the work. I trust that the effort at Waterloo was not in vain, and that the minds of the troubled ones will be helped.
Tuesday, Aug. 8, traveled by stage thirty-five miles over very bad roads to Blairstown, where I found I must remain till next morning before I could take the cars. Here I had no place to stop but a small country tavern, and that was nearly filled with drunken hog-drovers. They caroused all night, and had three regular fist fights before midnight. I got no rest of any consequence that night. The next morning, took the cars and rode seventy-five miles to Nevada. Here I found no food fit for a human being to eat, but I did the best I could, and started on for Fort Desmoines, by stage, thirty-five miles. It was one o'clock the next night before I reached that place. The roads were in such a terrible state that it took us five hours to accomplish the first ten miles of the journey; and all the stages on the route that day, were finally abandoned, and the passengers taken through by private conveyance. The next morning I arose at 7, and tried to make out a breakfast at a Western tavern where hog's grease was the predominant article.
From that place I went twenty-two miles to Sandyville, by private conveyance, during which time the weather was so hot that the horses could not be driven faster than a walk, and it took till 4 o'clock P. M., to complete the journey. At Sandyville I fortunately got a little rest before meeting. Preached twice on the Sabbath, and twice on first-day. Monday, had a meeting to investigate matters of difference in the church, three and a half hours in the forenoon, and four hours in the afternoon. Tuesday, investigation continued three hours in the forenoon, and five hours in the afternoon. It was then voted by the church to place the matter in my hands for me to look over the facts of the case, and decide where, in my judgment, the wrong existed. I accordingly spent the next day, Wednesday, from 5 A. M., till 9, P. M., with the exception of a short nooning, studying over these matters, and writing out a decision which covered eighteen pages of letter paper. Thursday forenoon had another business meeting of four hours. The decision was read, and confessions made by the church and the parties concerned. I then rode ten miles and preached in the evening to an attentive congregation in the Morrison neighborhood.
Rode the next morning ten miles to Knoxville, and preached twice on the Sabbath, and twice on Sunday. The meetings were well attended and several remarked that it was the best interest they had seen in Knoxville for a long time. Some who had once kept the Sabbath, and grown cold, said in tears, "This seems like old times."
Sunday, went ten miles to Pleasant Grove. Monday morning Bro. Charles Smith carried me ten miles back again to Sandyville. Had a business meeting of four hours in the forenoon, and in the afternoon spent four hours in private settling up the last matters of difference in the church. Resolutions were passed by the church, which, if carried out, will save them from the confusion and distraction they have had in the past.
Tuesday morning, had another business meeting of four hours, re-organizing Systematic Benevolence, and increased the figures from $250.00 to $337.51. After this, I started for Pleasant Grove again. Had quite a severe attack of diarrhoea accompanied with an ague chill. Tarried over night with Bro. Smith at Pleasant Grove, and Wednesday morning, Aug. 23, he carried me to Knoxville. Had a business meeting appointed at 9 o'clock, but the brethren did not come in till ten. During that hour, not being able to sit up, I lay down upon one of the benches and slept. When the congregation had assembled, I arose and preached an hour on the subject of Systematic Benevolence, and continued the meeting two hours longer, re-organizing their s. b. arrangements, and increasing the figures from $84.00 to $197.00.
In my reduced condition of health, I rode that afternoon fourteen miles on my way to Pella. Had another chill on the way. Stopped at a crowded hotel and got a little rest. In the morning took cars twenty-six miles to Eddyville expecting to preach a funeral sermon there, and attend a business meeting that day; but as I stepped off the cars, Bro. John Kirfman handed me the Review in which was the account of the sickness of Bro. White, and the call for me to come home. I immediately decided to go, and stepping back upon the same train, I came on to Battle Creek, five hundred and sixty-two miles. The diarrhoea with which I was attacked at Sandyville continued till ten days after my arrival at home, over two weeks. It was fortunate that I was called home when I was, or I should probably have broken down, and had a fit of sickness in Iowa.
Those who have read my reports know that I have labored hard for the past three years; but the last month's labor in Iowa, was the hardest month's labor I ever performed. Under it nature gave way, and I found myself in a condition demanding rest both of body and mind.
It was thought by friends that "Our Home" would furnish the best facilities for my rest and recovery. Accordingly I am here, and though having spent but a few days in the place, I feel that I have already received benefit, and that the prospect of regaining my wasted energies by rest and hygienic treatment is good.
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
Dansville, N. Y., Oct. 1, 1865.
Indulgence in Sin
Indulgence in Sin.—We may as well attempt to bring pleasure out of pain, as to unite indulgence in sin, with the enjoyment of happiness.
Who is Responsible?
By S. Rogers
AFTER reading the account of Bro. White's sickness, and seeing the care-worn condition of many others that labor in this cause, I was led to ask the above question, while looking around and contemplating the state of the church. It seems to me that the churches never have needed the labors of God's servants more than at the present time. But, dear brethren and sisters, have we valued their labors as we should in the past? Have we done all that we could to make their burdens light, and their labors pleasant and easy? Please follow me in the past for a few moments, and while we review the past, may it be the motive of each of our hearts to learn our faults, that we may humbly confess them; and that we may in the future stand in a place where we can help hold up the hands of those who labor for us in this cause.
How did you stand when Bro. White first introduced the subject of Organization? Did you feel to oppose him on that? Did you talk and write your feelings to others? Did you realize the effect of so doing? If not, may the Lord help you to see and feel as you should.
When the subject of Systematic Benevolence first came up, how did you feel? Was this all right in your mind, or did you feel afraid it would not work well, and so throw out a few doubts about it to others? Think you this made the burden any lighter for Bro. W. to bear? When we came down to the time that our nation was thrown into great distress and perplexity on account of war, when our people were so greatly perplexed in the event of the impending drafts, then think of the burden that fell upon Bro. W. He was called upon, as standing at the head of this people, to speak out his mind in regard to our duty toward this nation; and when he had done this with care and caution according to the light he had, (and I verily believe it was just what God wanted him to say at that time) how did you receive it? Were you thankful for it, or did you come out in opposition to the position taken? Think you this helped lighten the burdens of our brother?
And not the least among Bro. White's burdens are the duties that rest upon him to speak forth the wants of the cause to the brethren. Many have been the urgent calls for means; how have we responded to them? Not quite one year ago, Bro. W.* made an urgent appeal for means for the Eastern mission; if my memory serves me right, he and his family headed the subscription list with one hundred dollars; and he gave an invitation for others to do as their feelings should prompt them; and the receipts show just how deeply they felt. Have you felt inclined to find fault with Bro. W. if things did not go at the Office just to suit your mind? Or has he spoken most too plainly against some wrong course you have pursued? Or have you felt like one of old, that Bro. W. was 'taking too much upon himself? Now, dear brethren and sisters as time would fail me to speak of all the burdens of this kind, and many others, let us sum up these things, and see who is responsible, in a measure for the present condition of Bro. White. But not Bro. White alone is worn down with cares and burdens of this kind. We see Bro. Loughborough, on returning home from his Western tour, worn down with cares of this sort, and there are others in the same condition. Dear brethren, as there has been a day of fasting and prayer set apart, to ask the Lord to raise up the sick, is it not as necessary that we confess our faults, as it was for good old Daniel to confess his, and the faults of his people, before we can expect the Lord to hear and answer our prayers for good.
Shall we go on in the future as in the past, till our preaching brethren have worn out in trying to correct our faults, and poor sinners have perished for the want of their labors? Rather shall we not try and get right, and keep right, that we may be a help in this cause instead of a hindrance. May we choose the latter, is the prayer of your unworthy brother.
S. ROGERS.
Wright, Mich.
Letter from Bro. H. C. Miller.
By James White
BRO. WHITE: It was with much sorrow that I heard of your affliction. I know you will feel that all these things work together for good to the lovers of Jesus. Oh, how good Jesus is. I can give you the cheering report that nearly all the brethren here, are pressing together in the love of the Saviour, and are trying hard to overcome their sins. We remember you in our prayers. Enclosed I send $20, $10 for you, and $10 for Bro. Bourdeau. May I hear from you, when you are able to write? Hoping I may hear that you are rapidly recovering, I remain yours in the hope.
HENRY C. MILLER.
Chicago, Ill., Oct. 1, 1865.
NOTE. Thank you, dear brother. I have handed the $10 to Bro. Bourdeau, for which he expresses grateful thanks to you. I will hand the other $10 to my faithful fellow-laborer, Eld. Loughborough, whose condition renders it necessary that he should remain here several months. His old friends east and west who have shared his faithful labors, will esteem it a pleasure to meet his expenses here, and also his home expenses during the same time.
It may be necessary for Mrs. White and self to remain here several months. It is a great consolation to us to know that our numerous friends remember us in their prayers, and that it would be a pleasure to them to administer to us, if we were needy, in this time of our affliction. At present we are worn with constant care and toil, and are totally unfit for labor. We hope through the blessing of God to recover, and be active in the cause again.
JAMES WHITE.
Dansville, N. Y., Oct. 3, 1865.
Note from Bro. Taylor.
By C. O. Taylor
SEPT. 21st, in company with Bro. and Sister Spencer, and with their team, I left home for the Conference and to fill appointments on the way, my first being at Verona. We stopped the first night at Bro. Tuttle's, where we found a pilgrim's home, and the right kind of food. Journeying on the next day, we took our Graham dinner by the way side, under the shade of a large tree.
I filled my appointment at V., spoke to an attentive congregation Sabbath morning, and in the afternoon we went about five miles to a lake, where two were baptized. Had a meeting in the evening. First-day we organized a church of nine members; others will soon unite by letter; also transacted other business for the interest of the truth.
The 27th and 28th, I was with the church at Kirkville; had meetings in the evening; they gladly received the word. Baptized one; attended to the ordinances, and some matters of business. The few here are striving to obtain that rest that remains for the people of God. Our spirit was free while with them.
Sept. 30th, and Oct. 1st, was with the church at Oswego. They were nearly all present at the meeting. I spoke to them twice on the Sabbath; they love the truth, and are striving to obey it. Spoke first-day, baptized one brother, and received him into fellowship; attended to some business, and closed with the ordinances. I am encouraged to believe that some in this place will be found waiting for the Master with their loins girt about with truth, when he shall return. Oh that we might all awake and put on strength, that we may overcome fast, and hasten to a full and complete preparation to meet the King in his beauty.
I go from here to Roosevelt, and thence to the Conference.
C. O. TAYLOR.
Oswego, Oct. 3d, 1865.
My Life.
By Am. Mos.
Two paths I've trodden all my day;
One is a dangerous road.
In which do most my footprints lay,
The narrow or the broad?
Where have I taken most delight,
And pressed with vigor on?
In that which leads to death's dark night,
Or to a victory won?
My duty have I in the past
Sought oftenest to perform;
Or cared I not which hence should last,
The sunshine or the storm?
Each day the record's made on high,
Each night the balance shown;
Oh, where do most these footprints lie,
Towards which eternal home?
Awake, my soul, to-day be wise,
While life and health are given;
Press onward for the opening prize,
Live not for earth, but Heaven.
Am. Mos.
Stammering.
UNFORTUNATELY for such, there are many persons in the world, who, some way or other, have acquired the painful habit of stammering. In some cases this is the result of malformation in the lingual organs, but more frequently the result of habit. And how embarrassing such an infirmity is to both speaker and hearer. Those persons who are afflicted with imperfect enunciation, will doubtless appreciate the following, from the "Illustrated Annual of Phrenology and Physiology :"
“A writer in Fraser’s Magazine after recommending, very judiciously, a persevering course of physical exercises calculated to expand the chest, strengthen the respiratory organs, improve the health, and give a manly bearing, thus concludes :
“Meanwhile, let him learn again the art of speaking; and having learned, think before he speaks, and say his say calmly, with self-respect, as a man who does not talk at random, and has a right to a courteous answer. Let him fix in his mind that there is nothing on earth to be ashamed of, save doing wrong, and no being to be feared save Almighty God; and so go on making the best of the body and soul which Heaven has given him, and I will warrant that in a few months his old misery of stammering will lie behind him, as an ugly and all but impossible dream when one awakes in the morning.
“This is truth, every word of it. The habit of stammering can be overcome. Right methods, persevered in, will in the end be crowned with success; but while cultivating self-reliance, the stammerer should realize that all strength cometh from God, and that if he overcomes the habit, it will be due to His blessing upon his own prayerful exertions.”
Home Courtesies.
By Editor
THE following brief paragraph is weighty with practical truth. It is those little et ceteras in the home circle which make the wheel of life run so smoothly. And prominent among them is “home courtesy.” To the reader, we would say of the following, Ponder and practice.
“In the family, the law of pleasing ought to extend from the highest to the lowest. You are bound to please your children; and your children are bound to please each other; and you are bound to please your servants if you expect them to please you.” Some men are pleasant in the household, and nowhere else. I have known such men. They were good fathers and kind husbands. If you had seen them in their own house, you would have thought that they were angels, almost; but if you had seen them in the street, or in the store, or anywhere else, outside the house, you would have thought them almost demonic. But the opposite is apt to be the case. When we are among our neighbors, or among strangers, we hold ourselves with self-respect and endeavor to act with propriety; but when we get home we say to ourselves, “I have played a part long enough, and am now going to be natural.” So we sit down, and are ugly, and snappish, and blunt, and disagreeable. We lay aside those thousand little courtesies that make the roughest floor smooth, that make the hardest thing like velvet, and that make life pleasant. We expend all our politeness in places where it will be profitable—where it will bring silver or gold.”
A Tender Conscience
A TENDER CONSCIENCE.—It is an inestimable blessing to have a conscience quick to discern what is sin, and instantly to shun it, as the eyelid closes itself against a mote.
Obituary Notices.
DIED, of shaking chills and fever, in Gilboa, Ohio, Sept. 9, 1865, our beloved sister, Ozetta Wickham, aged 80 years, the 14th of April last.
J. P. FLEMING.
Died, at Kalamazoo, Mich., Aug. 22, 1865, in the 33d year of his age, my only brother, John D. Wright.
He was converted and baptized sixteen years ago, in the town of Murray, C. W., under the labors of Daniel Campbell, an Advent minister. In the fall of 1857 he embraced the Sabbath, when the church was planted in this place. It may be justly said of him that he filled the varied relations of life as a Christian should, and as a consequence was beloved by the church, and respected by all who knew him. He leaves a wife and two children to mourn his loss. We have parted, with a bright hope of meeting him at the resurrection of the just.
GEO. WRIGHT, JR.
Lapeer, Mich.
Died, at Olcott, N. Y., Sept. 23d, of dysentery, after an illness of nearly five weeks, our babe, Helen Eliza Lindsay, aged four months and a half.
A little life ended,
We tried hard to save;
A little bud blighted,
That much promise gave.
Hide our pet treasure
Down out of our sight;
Heart, keep thou silence,
What God does is right.
Sleep on, baby darling,
Till Christ comes to save;
Then burst, little coffin,
And ope, little grave.
C. W. & E. O. LINDSAY.
Died, in Stowe, Vt., Sept. 25, 1865, of consumption, Bro. Edwin Churchill, in the 51st year of his age. The last two or three weeks of his life he ran down rapidly under extreme suffering.
Bro. Churchill and his companion embraced the Sabbath of the Lord in 1852. From that time, Sabbath-keepers have met nearly every Sabbath for religious worship at his house.
The funeral services were attended at the Universalist house in Stowe village, where a large audience attentively listened to a discourse from Titus i, 2. After which his lifeless remains were followed by many mourners, friends and neighbors, down to the silent resting-place of the dead. A companion and four children mourn his loss.
A. S. HUTCHINS.
The Closet Hour.
CHRISTIANS often go unblessed because they neglect to pray. They do not use the means of grace within their reach, and God leaves them to bear the penalty. The Presbyterian notes some of the shortcomings:
Some one has remarked that there is but one place where long prayers are appropriate, and that is in the closet. And surely we have much to ask forgiveness for, many blessings to acknowledge, and to crave for the future; yet how often we hasten through the duty with a wandering heart, and but little feeling of the petitions we offer. Oh, not so would we come into the presence of an earthly sovereign, and plead for our life. How few of the surrounding objects would catch our eye, or divert for an instant our attention.
Who would like to have his closet prayers written out and interlined with all the wandering thoughts that intervene?
Would he dare to read aloud the petition on his bended knees, or would he consent to give it into the hands of even a fellow-being for perusal?
We should 'prepare our hearts to seek his face.' We cannot come from the hot haste of our worldly pursuits, and rush into God's presence with an acceptable sacrifice. Meditation should precede our offering, and the door of the mind be carefully shut against the world, or it will be only 'lip service.'
An old man used to say, with considerable pride, that he had never omitted saying the prayer his mother taught him, a single night for seventy years. A severe illness came upon him, and he was led to see himself a great sinner, who must be saved by the free mercy of Christ. His last years were spent as an humble Christian, and he was often heard to say, 'I am the old man who said his prayers for seventy years, yet all that time I never prayed at all.'
Ah, how often might the same be said of us, when we come forth from our closet devotions, and go about our worldly pursuits again! We have no more prayed than if we had merely taken a newspaper in our hand, and read a paragraph from it.
Oh, how should we double our watch about our closet door! Here is where declension and apostasy always begin. Here is the only place where the Christian armor can be girded on, and strength obtained to wield it manfully.
Religion.
Does it seem to you a gloomy and melancholy thing? It is melancholy and gloomy as true life is, and no more. Do you regard it as a subject suitable only for the pulpit or the death-bed? It is made for Sabbaths and dying hours as much as life is made for them, and no more. For religion is a life,—the real life of the soul.
Is loyalty a thing to be reserved for the Fourth of July and other national holidays, and omitted upon other days? Is loyalty a gloomy and burdensome thing because it forbids all treasonable and unlawful pursuits? No: the loyal man is free and happy under the government of his love and choice, and he is loyal always and everywhere. Religion is loyalty to our God and King, and there is joy and liberty in it.
Should the tiny germ imprisoned in the acorn, grudge to leave its narrow cell; to strike root downward, and send its growing shoot upward into the sun and air, where it may reach the full perfection of its being? And shall a being who may claim an heirship to Heaven grudge to leave the contracted circle of earthly and selfish thought and feeling; to send forth the root of faith and confidence till it takes hold upon the Rock of Ages; to let the powers and affections of the soul ascend and blossom in the light of God's loving favor.
Should the caterpillar be reluctant to leave its groveling form of life; to take his beautiful wings, and soar into a new element? And shall not the heart of man be eager to enter upon a wider and higher range of spiritual life; to take the wings of love to God and man, and rise into a new and blessed existence?
[M. E. A. in Tract Journal.]
Something, Dear Lord, for Thee.
SOMETHING, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Toiling by day, or watching by night,
Trust in the darkness, or joy in the light,
Walking by faith when thou givest not sight—
This it may be.
Something, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Yielding the treasures which we call our own,
Learning to walk through this cold world alone,
Bearing all pain without murmur or moan;
This it may be.
Something, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Whate'er the cross that on us be laid,
Taking it meekly, with hearts undismayed,
Looking to thee for all comfort and aid—
This it may be.
Something, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Short is the time which thou grantest us here,
Oh! may we spend it in thy holy fear,
Seeking thy sorrowful children to cheer;
This it may be.
Something, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Thou who dost freely all blessings bestow,
Guiding and guarding thro' weal and thro' woe,
If in thy vineyard some good seed we sow—
This it may be.
Something, dear Lord, for Thee,
Something for Thee!
Oh, when these swift-gliding years have all fled,
And our life-record by angels is read,
May Thy benediction rest on our head,
'Twas done for Me.
The Plague of Locusts.
THE desolation caused in Palestine and Syria by enormous swarms of locusts, exceeds any thing that has been known there for centuries. In April, large dark clouds appeared, which coming down, proved to be locusts, so great in number that the land was covered. They buried themselves in the ground, and deposited their eggs, which the Arabs destroyed in incredible numbers, but to very little effect. About the middle of May small black heaps were observed accumulating, and in a few days they began their desolating march in regular lines, like an army. They consumed the plantations, and entering towns and villages, destroyed the victuals, defying all human efforts to resist or stay their progress. The growing fruits have been destroyed, and hardly a green thing is to be seen in the richest portion of the country, causing great suffering all over the land.