Review and Herald, Vol. 36, No. 22.
Is the Earth to be Destroyed, or only Purified?Page 1
Is the Earth to be Destroyed, or only Purified?
By Rainbow
2. In the second place, we are told by the apostle, that “the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” This emphatic statement is twice repeated, and on our interpretation of it will depend the complexion of our whole exegesis of the prophecy. Of what “elements” are we to understand St. Peter as speaking? Some of the older commentators, such as Bede, supposed the word to signify the four ancient elements—fire, air, earth and water; but to this interpretation there is this fatal objection—that while, according to the prophecy, the elements are to be dissolved or melted by the agency of fire, fire is itself one of these elements, and it is quite clear that fire cannot dissolve or consume itself. Another interpretation (that of several of the Fathers), is proposed by Bengel, and provisionally accepted by Dean Alford, namely: that by the elements we are to understand the heavenly bodies—the sun, moon, and stars; but I have already shown that the apostle is here speaking of the aerial, and not of the sidereal heavens; consequently this interpretation is quite inadmissible. I am disposed to identify “the elements” mentioned, therefore, as those simple, primary substances, some sixty-two or sixty-three in number, with which chemical science has made us acquainted, and which are termed “elements” because they cannot, by any known means, be resolved into any more simple substances. Most of these are solids, such as iron, sulphur, silicium, &c.; but some of them are gaseous, such as oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen. By the “melting,” or rather “disintegration” (as the word should be rendered in the 10th verse), of these elements, I understand simply their separation from each other, the laws of chemical attraction and gaseous diffusion being suspended. Of the latter, I have noticed the most important example in the separation of the nitrogen and oxygen of the atmosphere; of the former, an example hardly less important will be found in the separation of the oxygen and hydrogen which compose the water of the ocean; the consequence of which latter separation will be not only to afford a further supply of oxygen for the support of the great mundane conflagration (every 9 lbs. of pure water contains 8 lbs. of oxygen, and 1 lb. of hydrogen, not simply mixed together like the oxygen and nitrogen of the air, but chemically combined), but to bring about, as a natural result, the remarkable physical fact mentioned in Rev. 21: 1, that in the new earth there is to be “no more sea”; thus establishing a very beautiful and remarkable instance of undesigned scientific harmony between two passages of Scripture. Were we to suppose, as some writers have done, (Mr. Lister, for instance: “Physico-Prophetical Essays,” pp. 204–207), that in consequence of the vast amount of igneous action implied by “the elements’ melting with fervent heat,” and “the earth, with the works that are therein, being burned up,” the waters of the ocean will be simply evaporated; then it is clear that as soon as that heat is diminished or withdrawn, they would be again precipitated on the earth, and the sea again be formed. But if we admit the supposition that the chemical attraction of the two gases is destroyed, and the gases themselves set at liberty, we see at once that the inspired prediction is literally accomplished, and that “the sea exists no longer.” Another interesting example of the extreme accuracy of the apostle’s language may here be mentioned. I have already noted the fact that the expression, “the elements shall melt with fervent heat,” is twice repeated by the apostle; once in the 10th verse, and again in the 12th. There is, however, in this repetition, a variation in one word which is highly significant. In the 10th verse, the literal translation of the phrase is, “the elements shall be dissolved or loosened with fervent heat;” but in the 12th verse, “the elements shall melt with fervent heat.” Now let it be observed that in the former passage, “the elements” are mentioned in connection with the heavens, and before the earth is spoken of (“This clause, on account of the not, followed presently by also when we come to speak of the earth, necessarily belongs to the heavens.”—ALFORD); the reference, therefore, is there specially, though not exclusively, to the elements of the atmospheric heavens; which, as we have seen, are of a gaseous nature, and consequently cannot be “melted,” but only disintegrated or separated from each other; but in the latter passage, “the elements” mentioned are specially the elements of the solid earth (for unless it is included in them, the earth is not mentioned at all in the 12th verse), most of which are not only solid but incombustible, and consequently can only be “melted” by the most intense heat. The significance of the word here employed, though that significance is only fully brought out when the word is contrasted with that used in the 10th verse, is noticed by Mr. Lister. “And here,” he observes, “it may be well to notice the term which the apostle employs when he announces the effects which shall be produced by the final conflagration foretold by him. ‘The elements,’ he says, ‘shall melt,’ not flame, ‘with fervent heat.’” This, as suggested to me by a philosophic friend, is calculated to remind us that the materials of the earth’s surface are, for the most part, the result of fire, and, therefore, not inflammable. But they are all fusible, and are all pervaded by latent-heat, just as much as those which are also inflammable.” (“Physico-Prophetical Essays,” pp. 430, 431.) But doubtless it will be objected that this cannot be the meaning of the apostle, inasmuch as the chemical elements of which I have been speaking were undiscovered and unknown when he wrote, and that therefore we must understand “the elements” he speaks of in a more general sense, as the component parts or substances of the physical world. This objection, however, entirely overlooks that marvelous adaptation of Scripture language which is so remarkably exhibited in regard to scientific truth. On this point the following remarks of Prof. Mansel are important: “One of the most remarkable features in the language of Scripture,” he observes, “is its power of adaptation. If we may so call it, which enables it in many instances to serve a twofold purpose in relation to those to whom it was first given, and to those who were to come after them. It is, perhaps, not altogether fanciful, if we seem to discern some traces of an analogy in this respect between the method of Scripture in dealing with those religious truths which it is directly designed to teach, and its method in relation to those natural truths which do not lie within its direct province, but which, nevertheless, incidentally and indirectly, it has, at times, occasion to take notice of. It may be that the language of Scripture, in relation to the phenomena of nature, is cast for the most part in a mold adapted to the knowledge and intelligence of the age in which it was written, and naturally so, as having an immediate significance in relation to that age; it may be that that language, interpreted by that knowledge alone, and without the aid of the light cast upon it by subsequent discoveries, would not of itself suggest the existence of another possible application beyond: it may be that the sacred writers themselves, in making use of language intelligible in their own day, were not distinctly conscious of any other import; it may be that their own positive knowledge in this respect was not greater than that of others of their age and nation; still, when all this is admitted, there yet remain two remarkable facts to be taken into consideration—first, the fact of an expansiveness in the text of Scripture, whereby it is enabled in natural things to adapt itself to new discoveries; * and, secondly, the fact that there are parts of the language of the Scripture, which, when interpreted only by contemporary knowledge, seem dark and unintelligible, or170even altogether erroneous, but which acquire meaning and consistency, and even scientific accuracy, when viewed by the light of a later advancement of knowledge.” (“Oxford Lenten Sermons,” 1863; Sermon ii.) A remarkable exemplification of the truth of these remarks may, I think, be found in the passage under consideration. Doubtless, to the Apostle Peter, at the time he wrote, “the elements” signified merely the matter or substances which composed the heavens and the earth, apart from scientific analysis. But who shall assert that the Omniscient Spirit by whose inspiration he speaks, intended no further or more exact meaning to be attached to the words by us, in this nineteenth century? Why does the apostle mention “the elements” at all? Why does he twice repeat the words with the remarkable variation of one word? How comes it to pass that so beautiful a harmony is thus established with Revelation 21: 1? except it be for the purpose not only of teaching us how utter and complete will be the destruction of “the heavens and the earth that are now,” but also of indicating to us the means by which that destruction shall be accomplished. The lesson taught to us is the same taught to those for whom the words were originally written; but it is taught to us more emphatically in the light of clearer knowledge. 3. Lastly, the apostle closes his description of this great catastrophe by informing us that “the earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” The Greek word translated “earth” in this verse is ge, which always signifies the earth substantially. When occurring alone, and especially when distinguished from some other part of the terraqueous globe, as the “dry land” from the “seas” (Gen. 1: 10, Sept.), it most frequently denotes the crust of the earth, the ground or land, or even some special portion of the earth’s surface, as the land of Palestine. But when distinguished from “the heavens,” as in this passage, it always in the New Testament signifies the terraqueous globe as a whole, in which sense we must therefore understand it. As regards the expression, “the works that are therein,” it may, so far as the words themselves are concerned, mean either the works of men, as buildings and the like, or the works of the Creator, or both of these combined; “the works of nature and art,” as Bengel paraphrases; but in accordance with the preceding interpretation we are compelled to give it the latter wider meaning. Not only shall “the cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, the solemn temples,” be swept away, but the great physical features of the world itself shall crumble down and disappear. The lofty mountains shall be brought low, and “the everlasting hills” melt; no longer shall “sovran Blanc” be “earth’s rosy star,” or Ararat lift its inaccessible peak to heaven. Tabor and Hermon, Sinai and Zion, Olivet and Calvary, all shall sink into one fiery grave; and the wreck of this once fair earth drift through the shuddering heavens, a mere mass of incandescent elements, surrounded by an atmosphere of flame. Nor, if the testimony of science is to be received, will this tremendous catastrophe be one unexampled in the history of the universe. Not to mention one or two instances noticed by the older astronomers, it is only as it were yesterday that the telescope revealed to us the awful spectacle of a world, or system of worlds, on fire. In the catalogue of stars compiled by the celebrated astronomer, M. Argelander, he inserted one of the ninth magnitude, situated in the constellation of the Corona Borealis, to which he attached the number 2705, little thinking of the wonderful change that would one day be observed in it; for so small was the apparent size of the star, that it could only be seen by means of telescopes of considerable power. In the month of May, 1866, however, this tiny orb was observed to blaze forth with the splendor of a star of the second magnitude, and so brilliant had it become that it could be seen with the naked eye, a conspicuous object in the spangled heavens. Such an extraordinary occurrence of course soon attracted the attention of astronomers, numerous powerful telescopes were directed to it, the rays of light emitted by the mysterious body were analyzed by the marvelous process termed the spectrum analysis, and, wonderful to relate, it was discovered that the increased brilliancy was due to the presence of hydrogen gas in vast quantities, and in a high state of combustion; a nebulous mist was also seen to surround it, and might be caused by vapor driven off by heat. Here, then, we have an instance of a star, probably a sun like our own, actually on fire, involving doubtless its attendant planets in the conflagration; for the orbit of the remotest would be but a point as seen from our world, and would assuredly be within the influence of the heat and vapor generated by such a vast incandescent body. And is it not probable, nay, more than probable, that we ourselves shall one day present a similar spectacle to other worlds? For “the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which,” to repeat once more the apostle’s words, “the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat; the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” Nor was the lesson thus written on the skies exclusively one of terror and warning, but also of consolation and hope. For, as the apostle adds to his vivid description of the catastrophe to overtake our earth, the gracious assurance, “Nevertheless, we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness,” so, in the instance before us, was this Corona seen rapidly returning to its ninth and normal magnitude, perhaps reorganized and purified after its baptism of fire. So, at all events, shall it be in the case of this our earth. Out of its disintegrated and molten elements shall Divine power, wisdom, and goodness, build up a new economy of far-surpassing beauty, splendor, and incorruptibility; in which, moreover, as its crowning glory, there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain; for the former things shall have passed away, and He that sitteth on the throne shall have said, BEHOLD, I MAKE ALL THINGS NEW.—Rainbow. “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.”—Psalm 126: 6. He that goeth forth in spring-time,
Sowing oft in tears and pain,
Shall, when comes the harvest gleaming,
Gather in the golden grain. And, though long the seed lie hidden,—
Useless seems this weary toil,
Faint not, for the root is striking
Deeper in a fruitful soil. Sow the seed, then, morn and even,
Nor at noon thy hand withhold;
God will give the promised increase,
Thou shalt gain a hundredfold. 'Tis like bread upon the waters,
By the hand of mercy cast;
When its mission all is ended,
Found and gathered in at last. Souls for whom the Saviour suffered,
Wander now the downward way;
From the “everlasting burnings”
Shall we pluck them while we may? Courage, then, O toiling Christian!
Raise the gospel standard high;
Rest not till the evening cometh,
Till the darkness draweth nigh. When at length the reaper angel
To life's harvest-field shall come,
Thou mayst then, with glad rejoicings,
Bind thy sheaves and bring them home. A Lesson from Mr. Judson.
By George I. Butler
WHILE reading the life of Adoniram Judson, the celebrated Baptist missionary to Burmah, lately, I was instructed and reproved by the course pursued by this eminent man of God. There are many things in his life that are worthy of imitation. At about the age of twenty-four years, Mr. Judson consecrated himself to the service of missionary labor, with his devoted companion, under the auspices of the Congregationalists, taking passage to the East Indies. Missionary labor was then in its infancy. There were few friends to encourage them to thus venture their lives, and their all. They went from pure motives, to bring the light of the gospel to heathen minds sunk in degradation and depravity, with no prospect of wealth, ease, or honor, before them; but rather, want, insult and persecution. Thus taking their lives in their hands, they voluntarily sailed away to distant lands, with no understanding of the language of the people they were to labor for, to be welcomed by no loving hearts upon their arrival, to be furnished with no pleasant home and society; but to be met with suspicion, indifference, and months of prison life. As I said, Mr. Judson went out under the auspices of the Congregationalists. On his voyage, while investigating the subject of baptism, he became satisfied that immersion was the only true mode of administering that ordinance. Here was a trying position for him. As he was being sent out and supported by sprinklers, and had no connection or acquaintance with the Baptists, and then the American Baptists had no provision for missionary laborers, it seemed like destroying the last hope of support to dissolve his connection with the society that sent him out. But, trusting in God, Judson nobly stood the test, and thus left himself in a far-distant heathen land with little hope of support, to do the work to which he had devoted himself for the sake of being true to his convictions. The first step was to learn the Burman language, This was far more difficult than learning any of the European languages, as they are somewhat related to ours in origin. His teacher knew nothing of English. The teacher would point to different objects, and pronounce their names in Burman. Mr. Judson would pronounce after him. In this way he slowly learned the vocabulary. The characters used in writing, the form of the words, the mode of expression, everything, was different from our language. Instead of clear characters on paper, with their proper division into sentences by pauses, points, and capitals, he had obscure scratches on dried palm leaves strung together and called a book; written without pauses in one continuous line, seeming to the eye but one long word, with no dictionary or interpreter to explain a single word. It was four years from the time that Judson left America before he had a single book or tract in the Burman language to distribute, or before he was sufficiently acquainted with the language to write one; and about five years, before a single inquirer desired really to know anything about the new religion. What anxious years these must have been to the poor missionaries. Three of them passed before Mr. J. knew that he should receive support from the Baptist denomination. They also had sickness to contend with, and annoyances and persecutions from the heathen around them; But Mr. Judson never faltered. He had an abiding confidence that he was in the pathway of duty, and that was enough. It was over seven years from the time they left home till the first Burman was converted to the gospel. It was an occasion of great rejoicing. After eleven years had passed, Mr. Judson had a complete translation of the New Testament to distribute. After thirteen years of arduous labor, they had made some eighteen converts, and Mr. Judson was then cast into prison, upon war’s breaking out with Great Britain and Burmah. His sufferings were terrible; his treatment most cruel. To add to his afflictions, his faithful wife, the sharer of all his labors and trials, was prostrated with fever and overlabor, and for months was helpless. Her infant, three months old, was nearly famishing from lack of food. Still their trust was in God. They doubted not their mission. At the close of the war, and upon their release, the mission had, as it were, all to be recommenced. They entered again upon their work with spirit. This was perhaps the most discouraging period of the work. From this point a more encouraging state of things was seen, and the work began to prosper. Man’s extremity is ever God’s opportunity. The baptism of suffering and trial through which they had passed, had even prepared them for the work, and the mission greatly prospered in usefulness. Mr. Judson had still more trials to contend with. His faithful companion he laid beneath the “Hopia tree;” but he still went forward with the additional care of his motherless children upon him. But it is not my design in writing this, to give a sketch of Mr. Judson’s life. I would advise all who can, to read his biography. There is a lesson in all this that is important. Some will think, perhaps, that all these sacrifices and sufferings were thrown away, and that he might have stayed in his own native land, and that the mission proved a failure. But the Burman mission in after years became a mighty one. Mr. Judson lived to see fourteen hundred Burmans baptized in one year, and thousands upon thousands of heathen became hopefully converted to God. Surely this was not a failure. It is a certainty that his faithful labors, through toil, privation and suffering, when the cause was in its infancy, were the main reason of its final success. This is ever so. The beginning of every great enterprise has great difficulties to contend with, and greatly blessed is that cause that has such sacrificing men as Adoniram Judson to commence it. But perhaps some will inquire, Did not Judson get terribly sick of the work he had undertaken? such sufferings to pass through, such trials to meet? Just otherwise. Here is a mistake that many make because they do not look beneath the surface of things. As a general rule, in a work voluntarily undertaken, the more we sacrifice for it, the greater interest we171have in it. When our strength, our means, our ability, is cast into any work, our interest becomes absorbed in it, for we feel that it is a part of us. It becomes as dear to us as life itself. So it was with Judson. That which had been his life-work was very precious to him. When finally he was forced to come back to this country on account of the sickness of his second wife, after a continued absence of thirty-three years, his reception in the United States was most flattering. His return caused a thrill of joy among Christians of all denominations. His progress was a continued ovation. His friends would have rejoiced to have him spend the remainder of his life in their society. But no; that work for which he had made such sacrifices, was most dear of all, and he returned to Burmah to give his declining strength to the work of converting the ignorant heathen. The reason why many have so little interest in the cause of God, is not because they have given so much, but so little, to it. A person who has thrown all his energies into worldly projects, finds it very difficult to let go of the world. The more we give and sacrifice for the cause of God, the more we shall love it. I said at the commencement of this article, that I had been instructed and reproved while reading his life. I have been. What a difference between the difficulties before him and those before us in our labors. He had a difficult language to acquire. His hearers never heard of the Bible. He had none to put into their hands, and not a single tract to distribute. We speak to those who are familiar with the language of Scripture. The Bible is scattered like the leaves of autumn. Most of the people acknowledge its authority; and we have a bountiful supply of tracts on all subjects of present truth for distribution. Those he addressed were sunk in ignorance and heathenism, and debased by nameless vices. Persecution stared him in the face at every turn. We labor in the most enlightened nation of christendom, and mostly shielded from persecution or the slightest abridgment of our liberty. He labored for seven long, weary, painful years, to see one poor heathen converted to God. If we labor six weeks, and do not see a score brought into the truth, many of us, I fear, think we are not doing much. Wherever we go, we find some loving hearts, who, if they do not fully embrace the truth, treat us with respect and friendship. What a clear truth we have! What noble hearts we find here and there, like jewels scattered in the rubbish! How we ought to rejoice at the privilege of finding them, and making their hearts glad and joyful! And when we think of the coming of Christ so near, and of the “Well done, good and faithful servant,” and that some will hear this spoken, and that it is possible that we may, and certain that we shall if we do well, how earnest we ought to be, and how grateful that God has given us a place in such a noble work. Oh! for more of Judson’s faithfulness, zeal, and earnestness. May our motto ever be, Courage in the Lord, and confidence in the termination of his work. David's Sin.
By Adolphus Smith
“Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me.” Ps. 51: 2, 3. Such was the pathetic language of David, uttered when under deep conviction of sin in the matter of Uriah the Hittite. He had been guilty of the double crime of adultery and murder; and not only so, but his example, in all succeeding generations, has given occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme. Although his language is expressive of deep sorrow and sincere repentance, yet it is inspired with strong, abiding faith. The prayer for mercy is mingled with hearty and humble confession of sin, until he seems to pour his whole soul into the language of the fourteenth verse: “Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.” Did David find the mercy, and obtain the pardon, that he sought? His subsequent humble life, and the testimonies of the Spirit of God concerning him, give an affirmative reply. Has David's dark sin given occasion for the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme? His deep humiliation and hearty repentance, and the consequent mercy of God, may also afford encouragement; yea, may inspire with strong confidence, not only those who are guilty of adultery, or murder, but also every sin save that against the Holy Ghost. The language of David in the seventeenth verse, is as truthful now, as when uttered in Jerusalem nearly three thousand years ago. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” Are any who read these lines, guilty of like sins? “Do foul misdeeds of former times
Sling with remorse thy guilty breast,
And ghosts of unforgiven crimes
Murder thy rest?” Follow David's example of humiliation and repentance, and pardon will be as certain in your case as it was in his. Suppress the thought that your sin is of too deep a dye to be washed away. “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” Isa. 1: 18. Do you believe the word of the Lord? Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Are you a sinner? Then Jesus came to save you. Hear his words: “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” His word is pledged, to give your burdened soul relief. Salvation is within your reach. “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” O how tenderly those whose duty it is, should deal with the erring and wandering ones. If we cannot go to them in a spirit that would, if need be, encircle them in our arms, as a father would embrace and entreat a wandering son, we are in no mood to administer salutary reproof or advice. Witness the spirit of Jesus as he wept over Jerusalem; yet Jesus knew when to reprove, and how. We must possess his spirit, or there is danger of our doing harm. As those who are very sick will receive the attentions of certain ones to the exclusion of all others, so those who have wandered far from God may be helped by some, while others would drive them further from Christ. “Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall.” The Sabbath Restored by the Gospel.
By John Matterson
It is generally thought that the keeping of the seventh-day Sabbath is a mere outward ceremony, a work of the law, which has nothing to do with faith. But this is a great mistake. Look at the fourth commandment, “Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy.” We are not only commanded to remember Jehovah’s rest-day, but we are commanded to remember it for the express purpose of keeping it holy. What is it to keep the Sabbath holy? It is to abstain from worldly business, words, and thoughts, holding sweet communion with God; to call the Sabbath a delight, thus honoring God, “not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words. Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord.” Isa. 58: 13, 14. Now, no one can really do this without living faith in Christ—faith that has secured pardon for all past sins, and that is now having a sanctifying effect on soul and body. It takes a holy people to keep holy the sacred Sabbath hours. Others may pretend to do it, but that is all. “Whatsoever is not of faith is sin.” Rom. 14: 23. But this subject will appear more plain when we consider how the Sabbath was given to Adam, and consequently to all his posterity. “The Sabbath was made for man.” Mark 2: 27. Greek: διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον: for the man; which evidently can refer to none other than Adam. The Sabbath is a memorial of creation. Every time Adam kept holy the seventh day, it brought more vividly to mind the great Creator and all his wonderful works. The works were visibly there, and could not easily be forgotten; but that the great God of Heaven is the author of all these beautiful works, is what the Sabbath institution was intended continually to impress upon the mind. “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Thus would the Sabbath of the Lord serve as a bulwark against unbelief and infidelity. How happy Adam must have been on each returning Sabbath, in admiring the beautiful works of God, and then lifting up his soul in adoration to the great Creator, enjoying sweet and undisturbed communion with him! But how was it after he had sinned? Could Adam then keep the Sabbath holy? Not at all, so long as his sin remained upon him. Why, every Sabbath would only bring new remorse to his conscience, as he looked upon the works of God, marred by the curse, on account of his sin. And the thought of Jehovah would only bring fresh terror to that poor, guilty soul, bowed down under the curse, banished from Paradise and the tree of life, hastening on to everlasting destruction. Adam could no longer keep holy the Sabbath-day. Hark! It is the gospel’s joyful sound. The glad tidings of salvation are proclaimed. The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent’s head. A Saviour is promised. He is “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13: 8. By faith in him Adam could obtain pardon for his sin, be restored to the favor of God, and finally return to his happy Eden home. Let us suppose that Adam repents and believes the gospel. Can he now keep the Sabbath? Can he “call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable?” Yes, indeed. Through faith in Christ he is restored to the favor of God, and the same faith makes it possible for him to “remember the Sabbath-day to keep it holy.” Does Christ then abolish the Sabbath of the Lord? What an abominable and unscriptural idea! Christ came to “destroy the works of the devil.” 1 John 3: 8. Not the works of his Father. Nay, verily! Christ restores the Sabbath to us through faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” Consequently, it is also impossible to keep the Sabbath holy without faith. Wherefore the keeping of the Sabbath appears to be the natural fruit of living faith; faith founded upon the immutable testimony of God’s word; faith which alone can convert the heart, and write the fourth commandment with the other nine upon its “fleshly tables.” Faith which looks forward to the glorious consummation of our blessed hope, when in the new earth all flesh shall worship before the Lord “from one Sabbath to another.” Isa. 66: 22. THE wisest prince that ever sat upon a throne hath told us that “righteousness exalts a nation.” Prov. 14: 34. It is not valor in war, but righteousness; it is not policy in government, but righteousness; it is not wittiness of invention, but righteousness; it is not civility in behavior, but righteousness; it is not antiquity of forms, but righteousness; it is not largeness of dominion, but righteousness; and it is not greatness of command, but RIGHTEOUSNESS, that is the honor and the safety, that is the renown and security, of a nation. That nation that exalts righteousness, that nation shall be certainly exalted by righteousness. It is not Ahithophel's policy; it is not Jeroboam's calves in Dan and Bethel; it is not Jehu's pompous zeal; it is not Goliath's sword; it is not rich mines of gold and silver, nor magazines, nor armies, nor counsels, nor fleets, nor forts, but justice and righteousness, that exalt a nation, and that will make a mean people to become a great, a glorious, and a famous people in the world. The world is a ring, and righteousness is the diamond in that ring; the world is a body, and righteousness and justice are the soul of that body. Ah, England! England! so long as judgment runs down as waters in the midst of thee, and righteousness as a mighty stream, thou shalt not die, but live, and bear up bravely against all gainsayers and opposers.—T. Brooks. 1662.