“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5 : 17.
These words furnish a true test of every man’s character. From them we can learn whether we are Christians or not. They are not spoken of a particular class, but of all who are in Christ. If any man, whether Jew or Gentile, bond or free, rich or poor, noble or peasant, old or young, learned or ignorant, pastor or hearer of the word, if he says, any man be in Christ he is a new creature. And if he be not a new creature he is not in Christ.
What then is signified by the term new creature? This is sufficiently explained by the words which follow: “Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” What are the old things which have passed away, and what are the new things that have taken their place? The answer is not difficult. These persons who have become new creatures have put off the old man and put on the new man. Col. 3 : 9, 10. This is a great change. The old man with his deeds represents the evil passions of the natural heart. Col. 3 : 5–9. The new man represents Christ formed in us the hope of glory. Col. 3 : 10–14.
Let us consider the old man and his deeds. He is in rebellion against God. His will is not in submission to God, for he does not love the will of God. He loves his own way and is determined to follow it. The old man is selfish. He seeks his own advantage at the expense of others. He studies to promote his own interest without regard to the interest of his fellow-men. He tries to elevate himself by pulling them down.
He is neither honest nor truthful. Perhaps he would scorn to steal, or to tell a falsehood in a direct manner. But if he can take advantage of others in his business he is not slow to do it. If he can sell inferior articles as good ones he is glad to do it. When he works for others he is not always careful to fill up his time nor always attentive that all his work should be well done. He does not love his neighbor as himself.
In many things he does not govern his appetites and passions. The carnal mind that is enmity against God rules in his life. Rom. 8 : 6–8. His spirit is proud. He glories in his independence. He is envious. This is the disposition which makes a person unhappy when he sees others prosper. He is jealous. He imagines that he receives a thousand slights; and he thinks that the honors which are justly his due are withheld from him and given to others. He will not take reproof. He thinks it an insult to be told of his faults, and instead of laying reproof to heart he is very angry with the one who has reproved him. He does not love God nor his cause. He will not sacrifice for God, for his own worldly interests are dearer to him than is the cause of Christ. He will not confess his faults for that is beneath his dignity. So he dares to justify his evil acts though his excuses are really so many falsehoods.
The old man can never enter the kingdom of God. He must be put off with his deeds. The heart in which dwells this carnal mind must be circumcised. The new man must be put on. Our fallen nature must be renewed by the grace of God. We must be born again.
Let us examine the character of the new man. His will is lost in the will of God. He has given his heart to God. He seeks not to please himself but to do that which God approves. He says to God continually, “Thy will be done.” He no longer seeks his own interest but that of others. He will not advantage himself at their expense. If he sells any articles he gives good measure, and that which is at the bottom is as good as that at the top. If he sells sugar he puts no sand in it. If he sells milk it has no water in it. In all his business transactions he acts as though the eye of God was upon him, and thus he does to others as he would have them do to him.
He never seeks to rise by pulling down others. He delights in their prosperity, and finds no pleasure in taking from others to advantage himself. From real humility of heart he esteems others better than himself. He is not an eye servant. He knows that Christ is his master and that if he is guilty of any negligence as a servant Christ regards it as done to himself.
If he has others in his employ he pays them just wages, and never takes advantage of their poverty to oppress them. He well knows that no injustice, nor oppression, nor dishonesty, nor falsehood can have place in the kingdom of God.
He governs his passions. He keeps under his body and brings it into subjection. He has crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. He knows that he is always in danger of self-deception. He therefore regards reproof as salutary for his soul. He does not become angry with the reprover, but seeks to know the real condition of his soul. He is not made unhappy by the prosperity of others even though he does not himself prosper.
He has that charity that thinks no evil, and he therefore is not troubled with jealousy as though he was slighted and others honored in his place. He loves God with all his heart and he loves his neighbor as himself. Grace reigns within his heart. The spirit of God writes the tables of the law upon the fleshy tables of his heart. His body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Christ is his pattern. He gives proof that he is in Christ because old things in his case have passed away and all things become new. Impatience, fretfulness, evil speaking, anger, and strife have passed away. Love now reigns in this man’s breast so that he would lay down his life for others. The great work of conversion or of the new birth begins when we first come to Christ for pardon. It is a progressive work carried forward through all the period of Christian experience till we stand perfect in all the will of God. Does the reader profess to be in Christ? If so, have old things passed away and have all things become new? Those who have named the name of Christ must depart from all iniquity. And now if this great work is but partially accomplished is it actually progressing in the reader’s heart? We may profess to believe in Christ, but we are not in him unless this great change has made visible progress in us. Let us not be deceived, for the day of judgment will show that this error is fatal. Matt. 7 : 21–23.
J. N. A.
Southampton, England.
DOING JUSTLY GOD'S REQUIREMENTS.
By George I. Butler
BY ELD. GEO. I. BUTLER.
“And what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Justice and righteousness are the foundation of God's government. They must form the base of every human government which is entitled to any respect. Man's character is worthless when these are not its underlying principles. The commandments of God are simply a development of them. The prophet has beautifully summed up the truths of religion in the sentence above, concerning justice, mercy, and the love of God. His question implies that all man's duty is comprehended in these things, and that merely religious services are of but small importance in comparison. He makes this statement very emphatic by putting it in the interrogative form. What doth the Lord require but this, is a very forcible way of saying this really comprehends all. The Lord then does require all men “to do justly.” He will not accept less than what he requires. We know of course that God has graciously made provision for repentance for all kinds of sins but one, sins of injustice among the rest. But what I mean is this: God requires of man a certain character, or the acceptance of certain principles before he will save him for an immortal life. He has made provision in the plan of salvation for divine grace and strength to enable man to obtain these characteristics through repentance of sin, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and earnest prayer, united with his own earnest efforts. By means of the help he gives, he requires man “to do justly.” This he must do, or be lost.
What does this requirement embrace? Mr. Webster defines just, as “Rendering or disposed to render to each one his due. Conforming or conformable to rectitude, not doing wrong to any. Violating no right or obligation. Equitable, upright, honest, true.” A beautiful definition truly, if our characters could be such, and the Lord says he requires that they be such.
Man, then, must render to each one his due, and must not do wrong to any. This is a work we must look after ourselves, and see to it that we violate no obligation of right. We must not let our naturally covetous dispositions induce us to cheat or defraud, or take advantage of the ignorance of others. “Doing justly,” strikes directly against the principle of getting something for nothing, which underlies most of the traffic of the present day. Were this principle carried out by all, it would put an end to all the cheating, adulteration, dishonesty, hypocrisy, slavery, lying, slander, murder, larceny, disobedience to parents, and covetousness, and other sins too numerous to mention, which exist in our world. What a different world it would be! Quite a good world to live in, indeed. It would abolish all armies, navies, courts, sheriffs, jails, prisons, executions, and police, with most of the taxes now paid. It would make a grand revolution in our world. These things have to be maintained to hold in check the selfish greed of mankind who will not “do justly.” Many, no doubt, violate this principle almost unconsciously. Early training and the practices of others around them have educated them in wrong doing till they do not realize it themselves.
Let us illustrate this principle in pecuniary transactions. Exchanges of property can often be made between persons to mutual advantage, if the principle of justice is mutually regarded. This would be legitimate and right. But how little of this there is done. With most there is a special desire to obtain from the other more than the real value of his own. With men who claim to be honest, there will be efforts made to depreciate the other's property, to enlarge upon the favorable points of his own, and make it appear more valuable than it is, to obtain just as much as possible, regardless of intrinsic value. With those of less conscience, absolute deception is often used, and lies told to cover up blemishes and faults, and to extravagantly praise the supposed merits of their property. All this is for the purpose of getting something for nothing; of getting value for which the other man has toiled or paid his money, without giving any equivalent in return. This same motive underlies all stealing and robbery. Thieves take the property of another without saying, “by your leave,” knowing they are liable to grace a prison for it. Others with the same motive, desire to obtain something from another without giving an equivalent in return, without running any risk to themselves, and keeping within the limits of the law. They hope in some way to blind the eyes of the one with whom they trade, and make him think he is getting all a thing is worth when he is not. If they can by superior shrewdness, succeed in getting him to consent to give up his property for much less than it is really worth, they think they have made a good trade, and perchance boast of the same. Would they have obtained that advantage had the other known the real value? Of course not. They have added deception to their covetousness, and taken advantage of the fellow's ignorance to advantage themselves at his disadvantage. Surely, there is nothing noble in this. Surely, this is not a noble use to which superior ability should be put. To do this kind of business successfully and amass great wealth by it, and perchance by taking advantage of others' necessities to get them in a pinch and strip them of their property without giving really any value in return, is the way fortunes are often made, and men become great in the eyes of this world. But all of this is not only wicked injustice, but the height of folly if there is a God of justice and a Judgment day.
The person who consents to use his God-given powers for such purposes, consents to form a character grossly unjust, showing that he regards money of more value than right principle. How can men have any respect for themselves knowing they desire to obtain their neighbor's property for less than its value, knowing they are anxious to take advantage of his ignorance or misfortunes? How must God look upon them with his eyes of purity? Does it pay? Not if eternity is longer than time, and the bliss of Heaven is more precious than this poor world. God requires us to “do justly.” We must come up to that requirement, or be lost. God will never give eternity of happiness to those who are planning to take advantage of their neighbor's ignorance to obtain his property without giving an honest equivalent. Why should the lives of such be perpetuated in glory? They are not worthy of it. How foolish such conduct will seem in the great day of Judgment—when men shall be judged according to their deeds. When the eye from which earth and heaven flee away shall pierce the guilty souls of the covetous and selfish who176fatten on the substance of the toil of others, and they shall realize that all is lost forever, their sharp trades will not seem half so satisfactory to them. We must all realize that every act of injustice leaves its spot of defilement on our character. Like pitch and tar upon clothing, it sticks to us. Nothing but thorough repentance and the blood of Christ can remove it. Conversion is a change of heart and character. Its evidence of genuineness is a life of faithfulness to principles of right. “Cease to do evil, learn to do well.” “Doing justly” enters into every act of life. The employer who forces his laborers to work for him for a bare pittance sufficient only to maintain life, while he rolls in luxury, must learn to do justly, or be lost. The employed who are unwilling to faithfully fulfill their contract, but shirk and waste when not under the eye of the overseer, caring only for their pay, must learn the same lesson.
This principle pertains not only to pecuniary matters but enters into all the relations of life. It is embodied in the golden rule, and the second great commandment, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” No present pleasure, gain, or earthly honor, can compensate for the loss of righteousness and justice, and self-respect, and eternal life. No character can be worthy of respect which is not founded on justice. We ourselves are more interested to see to it that we do not deviate from its principles than any one else can be. Eternal consequences depend upon it. No attention to outward religious service can take the place of justice, or make us acceptable to God while this is lacking. Were professors of the religion of Christ always just in their dealings with their fellow-men, religion would stand higher in the public estimation than it now does. Covetous professors are the great stumbling-stones in the King's highway. Their religion is a cloak to their covetousness now as it was in the time of Christ. True religion will bring us back to the great first principles of justice and righteousness. These are the great foundation stones which will stand sure with the house built upon them, while the sandy foundation will give way, and the house built upon it will fall. Let us be sure to “do justly.”
YET THEY PROSPER.
By D. A. Robinson
BY ELD. D. A. ROBINSON.
When the claims of the fourth commandment are presented and the Bible evidence is brought out that the seventh day, or Saturday, is the only Sabbath that God requires men to observe, one almost universal reason (?) among the many assigned for keeping Sunday is, “We never would have been prospered as we have if it were wrong to keep Sunday. We would not be blessed as we are if we kept the wrong day.”
The man who takes God's name in vain might say, “I know it can't be wrong, for if it were I would not be blessed with the good health I now enjoy,” and he would use equally as much logic as in the other case.
The weather may be extremely cold and my sitting by the fire and affirming ever so loudly that I know the weather is warm because if it were not I would not be so comfortable, does not make it so. My comfortable condition is not the result of congenial weather, but it comes from another cause.
So men, churches, and nations are blessed—not because of their perfection; but—notwithstanding their imperfections. Many are prospered, not because they keep Sunday, but prosperity often comes notwithstanding our violation of God's holy Sabbath. It will not do to make our prosperity the rule of the correctness of our position, for “the Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.” In reflecting upon this matter, David uttered the following: “For I was envious at the foolish when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.” Prosperity here did not evince an adherence to a correct theory, for they were “wicked.” Prosperity often comes notwithstanding our wickedness, and he who holds up this as a proof of his connection with God may make a fatal mistake. The following from the pen of inspiration is to the point: “For among my people are found wicked men; they lay wait, as he that setteth snares; they set a trap, they catch men. As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit; therefore they are become great, and waxen rich. They are waxen fat, they shine; yea, they overpass the deeds of the wicked; they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, yet they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not judge.” Jer 5:26-28.
That life will be the most truly prosperous that has been the most closely allied to God. He alone will be the successful man, who, by implicit faith in his Redeemer and obedience to all God's requirements, has developed a righteous character and is at last fitted for the kingdom of glory.
When the immortal throng shall ascend with their Redeemer, the command will be given as they approach the city of God: “Open ye the gates that the righteous nation that keepeth the truth may enter in.” Reader, will you be there?
THE CAUSE IN ENGLAND.
By John Norton Loughborough
As LAST reported, we are well at work posting the SIGNS, and have now some tangible results to report. During the last month we have received over one hundred letters in response to papers sent out. Those writing express interest in the paper, wishing us success in our work. A goodly number have already subscribed for the SIGNS OF THE TIMES; some for three months, some for six months, and some for the entire year. From the many letters received, we give only a few extracts.
One person in Shropshire, writing to subscribe, says: “I can conscientiously say, God speed you in your efforts to spread the knowledge of spiritual truth and light. The copies of the paper you so kindly forwarded me are passed on (after perusal) to six different homes, among these two ministers of the gospel: hence you see they are not lost; so far from this they are sought with avidity. Pray continue to send them.”
Another, writing from Kent county, and subscribing for a year, says: “I have received four copies of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, and have read the contents with interest, and am disposed to continue to receive it weekly, as I consider it worthy of perusal. I do not profess to be religious, at the same time I am not biased against any religious cause which has for its object the welfare of man’s soul, and should this be the means of bringing another sinner to Christ, I shall have every reason to bless the sender of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES.”
Another writes from Lancashire and says: “I thank you for your kindness in sending me the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. I like it very well, but I cannot think how you found out my name. I enclose pay for the SIGNS, so send it on.”
Most of those who write commend the paper, and wish us every success, although all are not so circumstanced as to subscribe.
As an illustration of the work the SIGNS is doing, I will give an extract from a letter of one who, after reading, has given her heart to the Lord. It was written to a near friend of hers. She says: “You will be surprised to learn that my brother’s babe is dead, and you will be still more surprised to hear that I have been to see his wife to try to comfort her, and to advise her to look to the Lord Jesus Christ for peace. I knelt in prayer before I went, to ask the Lord to guide me and give me strength to overcome all enmity between her and myself, and to forgive us both for the past, and to help us to lead a better life. When I went to her house, she was very much surprised, I could see, but I felt happy to know that I had done the Lord’s will, to love my enemies and forgive them that trespass against us if we wish for forgiveness at that great day of the Lord. I spoke of the Lord Jesus to them, and they were both surprised and wondered, and so did I when I reached home, for how the words came into my mind to speak to and pray for them. The Lord was with me instructing me to do so.
“Pray for them that their hearts may be turned to the Lord Jesus Christ. I feel the comfort of looking to, and trusting in, the Lord. I have never felt so happy in all my life as I have of late. Oh, how I wish I had given my heart to him before. I only just begin to feel the pleasure of life. I have the Bible and have plenty of time to pray, and the will to keep the Sabbath day to the Lord. What a comfort to know that God sent his only begotten Son to redeem us. We can never be too thankful to the Lord for sending Mr. Ings to you, who gave you such good advice, and was the means of leading you to the Lord.”
Among all the good letters is found the following snappish card from London:177
“SIGNS OF THE TIMES, Sir;—Send me no more of this ranting, dissenting trash. It is burnt by me immediately. Send me a subscription for Mr. Pelham, Dale, or Mr. Enraught, and you will be doing good. Do you read the ‘Church Union Gazette?’ Yours, etc. ——”
This is not the first time the burning argument has been tried against the truth. The king of Judah heard words of truth which the Lord sent to him through the prophet Jeremiah, “and it came to pass that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife and cast it out into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.” Jer. 36 : 23.
The burning argument was also tried at a later period in London, in the days of the bloody queen Mary, 1555 to 1557, when on a spot about three and a half miles to the south-west of the point from whence this bitter card issued, at Smithfield, directly in front of St. Bartholomew’s church, John Rodgers, John Bradford, and John Philpot were individually burned for what, I suppose, the church of Rome called their “dissenting trash.” They suffered for a principle, and that principle has lived to bless England to-day.
If I understand correctly the position of Messrs. Pelham, Dale, and Enraught, they are seeking to introduce forms of service into the church, that savor more of Romanism than of Protestantism. Rome has often used the fire argument, and I have no special desire to foster them or their dogmas. I am not a constant reader of the “Church Gazette,” but should it come to my table, I think I could read at least two copies without reporting “burnt by me immediately.”
J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH.
John Knox in Affliction.
By S. N. Haskell
BY ELD. S. N. HASKELL.
AFFLICTION and persecution have ever been intimately connected with the usefulness of the reformers, and John Knox had his share. In June, 1547, a French fleet accompanied by a land force, appeared before St. Andrews, where Knox and his friends had taken refuge, to assist in the reduction of the castle. After a brave and vigorous resistance, the besieged were obliged to surrender, which they did upon the conditions that the lives of all in the castle should be spared, and that they should be transported to France, and if they deserved it, from there to any other country excepting Scotland. The capitulation, however, was violated and all were retained as prisoners of war. Some of the principal gentlemen were incarcerated in dungeons, while others were confined on board the French galleys. These persons, among whom was John Knox, were bound in chains, and, in addition to the rigors of ordinary captivity, were treated with all the indignities offered to heretics. Solicitations, threatenings, and violence, were all employed to make the prisoners recant their religion, or at least countenance the popish worship, but not a single individual of the whole company, on land or water, could be induced to symbolize with its rites in the smallest degree. When mass was said, they were threatened with torture if they did not give the usual signs of reverence, but instead of this they covered their heads as soon as the service began.
This imprisonment lasted nineteen months, and so great was its severity that the health of John Knox became greatly impaired by it, indeed, he seems to have never fully recovered from its effects. During this time he was seized with a fever from which no one in the ship thought he would recover. But even under these circumstances his fortitude of mind remained unsubdued. To the anxious, desponding inquiries of his fellow-prisoners, whether he thought that they would ever obtain their liberty, his uniform answer was, “God will deliver us to his glory, even in this life.” While very sick, his attention was directed to the land, and he was asked if he recognized the place. (They were then near St. Andrews.) “Yes,” he replied, “I know it well; for I see the steeple of that place where God first opened my mouth in public to his glory; and I am fully persuaded, how weak so ever I now appear, that I shall not depart this life till that my tongue shall glorify his goodly name in the same place.”
But although he possessed great elevation and tranquility of mind during the greater part of his imprisonment, it seems from his writings that he considered it in answer to prayer. When first thrown into cruel bonds, insulted by his enemies, without any apparent prospect of release, he was not a stranger to the anguish of despondency. While referring to the exercises of his mind at this time, in a treatise on prayer, after speaking of his anguish of mind, his vehement tribulation and afflictions and the apparent hopelessness of his case, he says that in his greatest calamity, and when his pains were most cruel, contrary to carnal reason, he was enabled through the mercy of God to rise above it all. “Blessit be his halie name.” “And therefore,” says he, “dare I be bold in the truth of God’s word, to promise that notwithstanding the vehemence of trouble, the long continuance thereof, the desperation of all men, and the fearfulness, danger, and anguish of our own hearts, yet, if we call constantly to God, that beyond the expectation of all men, he will deliver.” “From the pit of tribulation,” says he, “such prayers ascendeth into God’s presence.”
When free from fever, during his captivity, he improved his time in writing, and prepared a confession of his faith, containing in substance what he preached at St. Andrew’s. This, accompanied with earnest exhortations to his friends in Scotland, to persevere, regardless of the persecutions which they might suffer for its sake, in the faith which they had professed, he found means to send to that country. Subsequently, he thus referred to the writing of this confession of faith: “Let no man think, that because I am in the realm of England therefore I so boldly speak. For the body lying in the most painful bands, in the midst of cruel tyrants, his mercy and goodness provided that the hand should write and bear witness to the confession of the heart, more abundantly than ever yet the tongue spake.” Through the personal interposition of Edward VI. of England, with the king of France, he obtained his liberty in 1549, and immediately repaired to England.
CAPSIZED IN SMOOTH WATERS
Temperance.
CAPSIZED IN SMOOTH WATERS.
JONATHAN WELLS and Stephen Moore were seafaring men, whose lot it was, in the early part of this century, to spend a few days of rest and recreation at a seaport on the north-east coast of England. One of these days being unusually bright, and the sea calm, a number of their friends less accustomed to the sea, had gone out in a pleasure boat for a few hours’ enjoyment on the water, and Wells and Moore were now awaiting their return.
As the two friends sat on a cliff overlooking the sea, the beautiful serenity of the weather led to some conversation about scenes of an opposite kind which each of them had witnessed. “It has often struck me,” said Wells, “that when the worst has been said about the ravages of the sea, the percentage of really unavoidable calamities is comparatively small. Among my own tars, and among those whom I can recollect from the time when I went to sea as a boy, for every one who has lost his life through wild seas, I could tell of ten that have been ruined by drunkenness or some kindred vice. The greatest dangers of life, say what we will, don’t come from the elements, nor from fidelity to duty in times of peril, but very often from the enemy men pour down their throats, or from some other foe which that has let in.”
As the friends sat there chatting in the rich sunlight of that glorious evening, they little thought in how short a time a fearful illustration of the truth of what Wells had said would come before them. Every one of the party which had gone out in the boat was supposed to be at least steady, and some of them were known to be of decidedly religious character. One of them, however, had been ill-advised enough to take with him a bottle of whisky, of which in the course of the afternoon he and two or three others had drunk, not, as they thought, excessively, but certainly too freely. This was evident from the somewhat uproarious mirth which followed the first glasses, and still more painfully evident from the unseemliness of the jests that soon succeeded the pleasant conversation which had been enjoyed.
It was not long before two of the party who had drunk more than the others began to jump about the boat in such a way as to endanger its safety. In vain the more cautious and steady of the party offered their remonstrances. In vain the ladies screamed and begged their excited friends to sit down. “What’s the use of coming out for a holiday if we can’t have a bit of fun?” said they. Instead of becoming quieter they became more turbulent, until at last the boat gave a fearful lurch, and in another moment capsized. They were more than two miles from the shore, and no help was at hand. What pen could describe the heart-rending cries that burst from those agonized men and maidens in that terrible moment? In another instant all was over. The merry occupants of the boat were buried beneath the waves, only one escaping, who, being a powerful swimmer, overtook a distant boat. “All was over,” did we say? Alas! all was not over. The crushing grief of bereaved parents and brothers and sisters was not over. The sorrow of dear friends was not over. The responsibility of those to whom the calamity had been due was not over. The awful judgment which awaited every one who had thus been hurried into eternity, prepared or unprepared, was not over. Oh, the terrible position of those on whom the guilt of that disaster rested! Better, ten thousand times better, would it have been for them had they never been born.
Let no reader say that the fate of those hapless pleasure-seekers has no word of warning for him. The case was by no means an isolated one. It was but a type of thousands more. The coast of life is strewn with wrecks which have become such through intemperance. Jonathan Wells was right. The ravages of the sea are as nothing when compared with the countless cases of moral and spiritual ruin caused by the drinking customs of society. Happy are they who from love to God and man have resolved that, for their part, they will have nothing to do with that which thus frustrates the purposes of God, and swells the ranks of the prince of darkness.—Christian Herald.
THE PEOPLE'S FOE IN DISGUISE.
An enemy in ambush is more to be feared than one in the open field. Greeks in the wooden horse accomplished in a single day what Greeks in a fair siege failed to do in ten years. The hundreds of thousands of untimely graves; the poverty, shame, misery, and crime that mark the path of alcohol, prove it the people's foe. If this tyrant destroyer were to make its first approach in its true character, men would fly before its frightful mien. It must disguise itself. To do this, it assumes the mask of friendship; it steals the garb of a philanthropist. Beer and wine are the favorite disguise of alcohol.
The brewers of the United States, in their “Essay on the Malt Liquor Question,” in 1876, state that “the percentage in our lager beer varies from four to seven.” The mean average would be 5.5. In 1876, nine million barrels of beer were manufactured. In this, at the ratio given, there were four hundred and ninety thousand barrels, or twenty-three million gallons, of alcohol. This amounts to one-half the quantity produced by the distilleries.
Eleven per cent of absolute alcohol, or nineteen per cent by volume of proof spirit, are the highest proportions of alcohol produced in wine by natural fermentation, and are the standard of the strength of natural wine. This per cent, however, is in most wines much increased by artificial means. Thus beer and wine are the ambuscade of alcohol—an ambuscade planned with consummate art. The quantity of alcohol in these liquors could not be greater without betraying the artifice. It is great enough to accomplish its end.
The physiological effects of alcohol in wine or beer are the same as those of alcohol in whisky or brandy. Once in the stomach, alcohol is instantly separated from the other ingredients of the liquor taken, and produces its well known results. The healthful properties which the other constituents may possess are more than counteracted by the deleterious effects of the alcohol. It is the exhilaration of the alcohol which makes these liquors popular, and to please the taste of the consumers, there has been a steady increase of the per cent.—Golden Censer.
LOS ANGELES.
By W. M. Healey; M. C. Israel; J. G. Hurley
We pitched the tent here and commenced meetings April 1st. There is some prejudice against the name of Adventist, but this is rapidly giving way and the attendance and interest have increased from the first. Our audiences now are quite large. The seed is being sown in many hearts and we hope will spring up and produce an abundant harvest. Pray for the work here.
W. M. HEALEY,
M. C. ISRAEL,
J. G. HURLEY.
April 9, 1881.
BISHOP SIMPSON ON STIMULANTS.
In his third Yale lecture, Bishop Simpson advised the young men who were entering the ministry to avoid all stimulants, and in connection with this advice gave a bit of information which is not generally known: “I would scarcely suppose that any one who feels himself called to the ministry will continue their use; yet kind friends will sometimes suggest that you are weak, your nerves are tremulous, you have been out in the cold, you need a little stimulant, and they will urge the taking of a little wine or brandy before preaching. These friends will tell you that the most distinguished ministers are in the habit of using them; and I regret to say that in many churches both wine and brandy are there kept in the vestry for the use of the minister both before and after preaching.” He further said: “I have known some young ministers who used a few drops of paregoric or opium to give them strength for the pulpit. I am glad to say that I have known but few such cases; but I must add that these were led in the end to either physical or moral ruin.” And in passing, he fired a shot at the clerical cigar: “I suppose there is a sort of enjoyment connected with it, for I have seen men sit smoking for an hour with their feet upon a table, professing to be studying. I have no doubt they had visions of greatness and glory; but prolonged observation shows that their lives usually ended with their cigars in smoke.”
WHAT IS TEMPERANCE?
Dr. F. R. Lees, whom we regard as Chancellor Crosby's equal in linguistic attainments, and his superior as a logician, says: “The English word ‘temperance’ is derived directly from the Latin temperantia, the root of which, as of tempus, templum, is found in the Greek temno, tempo, ‘to cut off.’ Hence, temperantia (temperance), as a virtue, is the cutting off of that which ought not to be retained—self-restraint from, not in, the use of whatever is pernicious, useless, or dangerous. This etymology is an adequate vindication of the application of the word ‘temperance’ to the practice of abstinence from all intoxicating liquors, as being a cutting off of those articles of diet that are best put away; and as the swiftest, simplest, and only effectual method of cutting off the intemperance that devastates the land.”
TEMPERANCE IN THE WHITE HOUSE.
MANY are the good-humored jokes which Mrs. Hayes' temperance principles call out. Says the Signal: “On the avenue leading up to the White House, at Washington, is a restaurant where liquor is sold. A sign is thrust out greeting the approaching visitor to the President with the warning, ‘Your last chance!’ As he returns from the White House he is met by the words on the reverse side, ‘Your first chance’ again! In consequence of her firm adherence to her faith, temperance has become fashionable in Washington, and liquor is rarely seen on the tables of the best people, insomuch that Mr. Augustus Sala says of the Americans: ‘A glass of ice water is usually the only drink with which they wash down their dinners. I actually am afraid to call for a glass of beer while dining at my hotel, lest I may be regarded as a drunkard.’ If all men had the same fear it would be well for our country.”
BRANDY IN MINCE PIES.
“They all put brandy in them!” said one.
“They all don’t! My mother has never put a drop of brandy into her mince pies since the day Bob said he could taste the brandy and it tasted good. Mother said then it was wrong, and she would never be guilty of it again; and if my mother says a thing is wrong, you may be sure it is wrong, for what my mother knows she knows.”
“How about mince pies; are you sure she knows how to make a mince pie good?” and a laugh went up from a group of girls gathered over the register of the recitation room, eating their lunch. But some of them winced a little when back were tossed the words:—
“If she don’t, she knows how to make a boy good, and isn’t a boy worth more than a mince pie?”—Nashville (Tenn.) Temperance World.