Review and Herald, Vol. 45, No. 13. (3/25/1875)

Review and Herald

Mar 25, 1875

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 25, 1875

THE LAST MESSAGE.

By Roswell F. Cottrell

BY R. F. COTTRELL.

The close of probation will usher in the day of wrath. When Jesus shall have finished his work of intercession as a merciful High Priest he will receive his kingdom and rule his enemies with a rod of iron. Then the great day of his wrath shall begin. And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation upon earth. And the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Isa. 13:9; Zeph. 1:14, 15; Rev. 6:17; Ps. 2:5, 8, 9, 12; Dan. 12:1; 2 Thess. 1:7, 8.

But before that evil day shall come, a warning shall be given. This is God’s merciful manner of dealing with men. He warned them in the days that were before the flood; but the unbelieving still persisted in their course, and the flood came and took them all away. So shall it be when the Son of man is revealed. The scriptures referred to above, and many others of the same kind are recorded as warnings to men. Besides all these, God has promised in prophecy a special warning to be proclaimed to the world by his servants just before the coming of that terrible day of wrath, when Jesus shall come to reap the harvest of the earth.

When Jesus was asked what should be the sign of his coming and of the end of the world, a part of his answer was, “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” Mat. 24:14. This must refer to a special message of the gospel, which shall witness, or testify, to the nations that the great event is at hand; because the general proclamation of the gospel of salvation through Jesus Christ, which has been made to all the world from that day to this, for more than eighteen hundred years, could not be a sign of the end of the world at hand; for it would be absurd to say an event was specially near, even at the doors, during all these centuries; and a proclamation common to all the age, or dispensation, could never become the sign of its immediate end. Our Lord referred to a special proclamation of the nearness of the grand event, which should be immediately followed by the end itself. “Then shall the end come.” He says, “This gospel of the kingdom;” referring doubtless to the proclamation then being made, namely, “The kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

The kingdom of Heaven, in its development, is like the growth of grain: “First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.” Mark 4:26–29. The appearance of the blade gives promise of a harvest. When the ear is developed, hope is confirmed; but when the fruit is matured, immediately the sickle is put in, “because the harvest is ripe.” The ancients, from Adam to Christ, had the kingdom wholly in promise, in the blade. The promise was confirmed by the appearing of the promised king. A necessary and most important part of the kingdom was tangibly present, and it could be truly said to those to whom the good news was proclaimed, “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.” Luke 10:9, 11.

Jesus was “born king of the Jews.” He rode into Jerusalem as the Son of David, the promised king; but instead of being crowned, he was crucified: and that under the title—“The King of the Jews.” The Jews did not wish to have it so; but by God’s controlling providence it was so. Now it is remarkable that the apostles no longer preached, “The kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” This item is left out of the grand commission, “Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.” They now looked for the kingdom at the re-appearing of the King of kings, “at the day of Christ,” concerning which they warned the church not to be deceived with the idea that it is “at hand.” 2 Thess. 2:2. The coronation takes place in Heaven. Dan. 7:13, 14. Jesus, the king, is like a certain nobleman who “went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and to return.” Luke 19:12. When he shall return, “having received the kingdom” (verse 15), he will wear the crown, reward his servants, and dash in pieces his enemies. Rev. 19:11–16; 22:12; Ps. 2:6–12. Then the harvest, which is “the end of the world,” will have come; Matt. 13:39; the sickle shall be thrust in, for that “the harvest of the earth is ripe;” Rev. 14:14, 15; the saints of God, the subjects of the everlasting kingdom, made immortal like their King, will be gathered by the angels of God, the heavenly reapers; Matt. 13:39; 24:31; 1 Cor. 15:52; and then the kingdom of God will be perfected—the subjects as well as their King, immortal—and be like the “full corn in the ear.” But the wicked, “the vine of the earth,” shall be “cast into the great winepress of the wrath of God.”

The world should be warned of the approach of that great and dreadful day. “This gospel of the kingdom [at hand] shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.” This warning is more fully described in prophecy in Rev. 14:6–12, under the symbol of three flying angels, each bearing, in succession, a message to the inhabitants of the earth. Any one who will carefully read this portion of Scripture with the remainder of the chapter, will see that in it is predicted the last warning that shall be given to the world, and that the great day of God’s wrath will immediately follow the proclamation of these messages. You need no learned minister to tell you this; you can see its obvious meaning; and you are responsible.

The question comes up then, Is the last warning being given to the world of mankind? We believe that it is. Why do we believe it? Because there is a people who are engaged in preaching just such a warning to “many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” Rev. 10:11. Their special work now is the last message of the three, that of the “third angel.” Rev. 14:9. It is a historical fact that the first and second messages of this chain were first announced in the given order, and the third and last has been in its incipient state of development for nearly a quarter of a century. It is now assuming proportions which demand an investigation of its claims from every candid mind.

It is obvious that a people who believe it to be their specific work to proclaim this last message, must of necessity be Adventists in the sense of believing that the second coming of Christ is at hand. And it is also clear that the prophecy of these three consecutive messages was given to foretell the experience and work of those who shall be finally prepared to stand in the terrible day of wrath and hail the expected coming of the Lord with joy. Therefore those who have confidence in prophecy, and understand the signs of the times, will be able to define their position in the fulfillment of these messages. Those who ignore them in their fulfillment, till they are wholly accomplished, will be in the darkness of unbelief, and consequently unprepared for the coming of that tremendous day. It is a matter then of the greatest importance to decide whether the present movement, claiming to be in fulfillment of this chain of prophecy, is genuine.

In order to come to a right decision on a question like this it must be borne in mind that God’s promises and providence are always in harmony. In other words, Providence guides and guards in the fulfillment of prophecy. He guides and controls events so that the fulfillment is sure, and guards it against any false fulfillment; so that to believe is safe. All the doubt and danger, therefore, are on the side of unbelief in God’s word and providence.

Has the present movement on the second coming of Christ been in perfect harmony with this line of prophecy, which describes particularly the genuine, Heaven-appointed movement? If it has, it is simply unbelief in God’s word and providence to decide against it.

What are the facts in the history of the Advent movement of our own times? From 1840 to 1844 believers in the near coming of Christ were united in proclaiming the message, “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come.” They believed that their preaching was in fulfillment of the first of this series of messages. It is evident that this message must have for its foundation a definite, appointed time, a time before appointed in prophecy. It was believed then, and we still believe, that the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, terminated in the fall of 1844. The text said, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” For an explanation of the great disappointment when the time of expectation passed, the reader is referred to a tract of sixteen pages, published at the Office of the REVIEW AND HERALD, Battle Creek, Mich., entitled, “The Sanctuary of the Bible,” and other larger works. It is sufficient for our present purpose to know that such a proclamation was then made, which bore every mark of being the genuine fulfillment of the prediction, and has not been, and cannot be, proved to be spurious.

As we drew near the end of the prophetic period in 1844, the second message, the proclamation concerning the fall of Babylon, was distinctly heard among Adventists, and believed to be the fulfillment of the prediction. But this was not so prominent and extensive in its proclamation as the first, as it is natural to infer from the fact that this message is not said to be proclaimed with a loud voice, like the first and the third. But every promise of God must have its fulfillment; and this proclamation was made in the order before given in the prophecy.

In October, 1844, the time of expectation came, and, passing, brought the great disappointment. The Lord did not come. What was the error? Was it in the reckoning of the time? or was the wrong event expected at the end of the 2300 days? We believe the mistake was not in the time, but in the event. Every review of the time only proves the reckoning correct. It is utterly impossible to extend the period to the present time; and this is a demonstration that the error was in the expected event. The text does not say, Then the Lord shall come to earth, but, “Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” The cleansing of the sanctuary is the work of the high priest in making atonement for sins. Lev. 16. Jesus is the true high priest, of whom the Jewish high priest was only a type. Heb. 8:1–5. The place where he makes intercession in behalf of sinners is in Heaven. He must finish making the atonement before his second coming; for he is then revealed from heaven “taking vengeance” on the ungodly and rewarding “every man according as his work shall be.” 2 Thess. 1:7, 8; Rev. 22:11, 12. Therefore the cleansing of the sanctuary must be an event to transpire before his coming. It must be the finishing of the work of his priesthood in Heaven—the blotting out of the sins of his people. He does not come again “to bear the sins of many,” either as the slain victim or the atoning priest, but “without sin unto salvation.” See Heb. 9:23–28.

It is impossible that Christ should come at the end of the 2300 days; for an important part of his work as an intercessor still remains to be done. That work is the final disposal of the sins of his people—a work equivalent to their acquittal in the Judgment. Hence the propriety of the proclamation at the ending of the days, “The hour of his Judgment is come.” Such proclamation was made in 1844. But the third and last message, the most important warning of all, because it makes known the necessary preparation for the coming of the day of Christ and closes probation forever, would have had no fulfillment, had Christ then come, and so the word of God would have failed of its fulfillment. The eyes of Adventists had been holden from seeing this, till the disappointment caused them to look into the sanctuary of God. “And the seventh angel sounded. . . . And the temple of God was opened in Heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament.” Rev. 11:15–19. In searching for the cause of the disappointment, the temple of God in Heaven, “the sanctuary, and the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man,” was laid open to view, even the most holy place, which is only opened at the time appointed for its cleansing—the final removal from it of the sins of the people—and, lo! the ark of God’s ten commandments is seen to be in Heaven, before which Jesus, our high priest, has entered upon the closing part of his ministration in behalf of sinful men.

The time message of Rev. 14:6, 7, is represented in chap. 10, by an angel who swears “that there should be time no longer.” This does not indicate the end of probationary time; for it is evident that the proclamation is made when the seventh angel is about to sound; and men are still on probation when he begins to sound; for it is added, “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished”—the closing work of the gospel is yet to be done. And after a dramatic representation of the disappointment at the end of the prophetic days, by the bitterness resulting from eating the once-sealed but now open book (see Dan. 12:4, 9; Rev. 10:2), it is said, “Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” One more proclamation is to be made, which is evidently the last message of the gospel, that of the third angel of Rev. 14, which will finish the mystery of God, and prepare the church for translation at the coming of the Son of man.

Looking into the sanctuary or temple of

God in Heaven, into the most holy place, opened for the closing work of our great High Priest at the time appointed, the end of the 2300 days, it is seen that the ark containing the ten commandments is there; and the prophesying again, the last warning message, contains a test upon these very commandments. The message reads, “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever; and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name. Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

This terrific warning, evidently the last message of the gospel, was all unseen to Adventists before the disappointment of 1844. They did not understand the message, and consequently could not proclaim it. It is marvelous that, having announced the first and the second, they should expect the coming of the Lord before they should see this message of thrilling importance, the climax and sequel of the series, and the culminating and practical point of the great line of prophecy contained in Dan. 7, and Rev. 12 and 13, move the world with its loud voice of terrific warning. But so it was; “their eyes were holden” that they should not see it. They expected the advent of Christ at a time when the most solemn and important part of his ministration as High Priest and Advocate at the throne of Judgment was unfulfilled. They expected him before the last decisive warning, which was to thrill mankind with its loud voice, and enlighten the earth with its glory, had even been announced.

And what do these facts argue? Does their error and disappointment prove that the hand of God is not in the fulfillment of this line of prophecy? Not at all; but the very reverse. It proves that the work of fulfilling these messages is not the result of a collusion of men; but that the controlling hand of God is set to the work, causing each and every predicted event to appear in the given order, notwithstanding the errors and consequent disappointments of men. It was so in the case of the primitive disciples of Christ. When he rode into Jerusalem as foretold in Zech. 9:9, moved by the Spirit of God they hailed him with shouting as their promised king; because this prophecy must have its fulfillment. Said Jesus, “If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” But what was their disappointment when they saw their King crucified, instead of being crowned! But although destined to see with sadness the failure of their confident expectation, yet they had fulfilled an important prophecy. (See John 12:12–16.) So it has been with Adventists. God willingly permitted their confident expectation of the end before it was due; and used it in the accomplishment of that part of his prophetic word which was then to have its fulfillment. He suffered them to be sorely disappointed, not only to humble and prove them, but to lead them into truth which they had not thought of, and of which almost the whole Christian world were ignorant, and thus prepare the way for the grand test contained in the final message of probation. Though bitterly grieved with disappointed hope, they must “prophesy again;” and this last message of warning shall not end in disappointment to the believer, but the promised event shall come.

This closing message is to test the church and the world upon “the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.” The worship of the beast and his image is in opposition to these; and the danger is that the beast and his image will be honored by obedience, instead of the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

Those who will thoroughly study the prophecies of Daniel and of Revelation, with other scriptures, will learn that the beast is the Roman papacy or popedom. That, in the fulfillment of prophecy this power claims the ability to change the times and laws of God; and that the change of the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week can be traced to no higher authority than the church of Rome with its blasphemous profession of the infallibility of its head. This church claims to have changed the Sabbath in the exercise of its right, and puts forth its change as the mark of its power to make laws to bind the consciences of men. “How prove you,” say they, “that the church hath power to command feasts and holy days?” The answer is, “By the very act of changing the Sabbath into Sunday.” This is the mark of the beast—the sign or token of its power to change God’s laws and make laws for men—as set forth by themselves.

The image of the beast will be another body of religionists clothed with civil power to enforce its creed, a prominent article of which will be the keeping of the papal Sabbath—the mark of the beast. This image will be made by the beast with two horns like a lamb, which is a symbol of the United States. The reader is referred to a work entitled, “The United States in the Light of Prophecy,” and other works published at the Office of the REVIEW AND HERALD, Battle Creek, Mich.

This image is about to be made. For nearly twenty-five years Seventh-day Adventists have held and publicly taught that the two-horned beast is a symbol of the United States; and as a consequence we have been expecting that which is evidently about to be effected, namely, a virtual union of church and State. The religious oppression and persecution set forth in Rev. 13:11–17, cannot be enacted in our country without a change of its fundamental law, the Constitution. Now we see a powerful and growing “National Association” demanding a “religious amendment” of the Constitution; and a prominent item in the proposed amendment is the enforcement of what they are pleased to designate the “Christian Sabbath.” According to the prophecy they will accomplish their object. The Sunday Sabbath, the mark of the Roman beast, will be enforced upon all the authority of our government. The last persecution will follow, a persecution of those who refuse the worship of the beast and his image, and the reception of his mark; but keep instead the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus.

Reader, the last message of warning is now being proclaimed. It warns of the dangers which lie before us in the near future. It presents you the only sure and safe preparation for the day of trial, that you may brave the wrath of persecutors and escape the wrath of God. Your only safety is in keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ as they are revealed in the Bible.

The message is come in the order laid down in the prophecy. From a small beginning it has been rising slowly, but surely, for the last quarter of a century. It is now rapidly spreading over the world. Offices of publication are established and being established, and power presses are in operation to spread the light over the world. Believers are found in almost every State and territory of our country, from the Atlantic to the Pacific. We have a General Conference and thirteen State Conferences organized and associated to carry forward this work; and the message is going forth to “many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.” We have three weekly papers and one monthly in the English, devoted to this work; also Danish and Swedish monthlies; and tracts in the German, French and Holland languages. Sabbath-keepers are springing up and coming to light in England, Scotland, Ireland, Switzerland, Italy, and Prussia; also in Australia and the islands of the Pacific. Some of these have not yet heard the last message; but the Spirit of God seems to be moving upon the hearts of the people on the subject of the downtrodden Sabbath of the Lord, and preparing the way. Russia has many Sabbath-keepers; and even in China are large numbers who have, within a few years past, embraced the Christian religion together with the Sabbath of God’s law, from the teachings of God’s word and Spirit, without the intervention of missionaries. In short, the way is preparing for the ripening of the harvest of the earth.

The last call of mercy is going forth. A final choice is offered to the inhabitants of the earth. The decision will be final, and the consequences eternal. Who will be found on the Lord’s side? Will you, dear reader, heed the voice of warning?

God is calling for workers in his cause. “Say not ye, There are four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal.”

If we will consecrate ourselves to God and his cause, he will give us work to do, work that will be fruitful and the reward certain. Those who heartily engage in it, shall soon hear the approving voice of the Master, saying, “Well done.”

May those who read these lines, not only seek to save themselves by obedience to the truth, but engage in the work of saving men from the wrath to come. To follow Christ in self-sacrificing labor is the only way to eternal life.

Come unto me.

Art thou weary? Art thou languid? Art thou sore distrest? “Come to me,” saith One, and coming, Be, at rest!

Hath he marks to lead me to Him, If He be my Guide? In His feet and hands are wound prints, And His side.

Is there a diadem as monarch That His brow adorns? Yea, a crown is very surely, But of thorns!

If I find Him, if I follow, What his guerdon here? Many a sorrow, many a labor, Many a tear!

If I still hold closely to Him, What hath He at last? Sorrow vanquished, labor ended, Jordan past!

If I ask Him to receive me, Will He say me nay? Not till earth, and not till heaven Pass away!

Tending, following, keeping, struggling, Is He sure to bless? Angels, martyrs, prophets, pilgrims, Answer, “Yes.” —From St. Stephen, the Sabbath.

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED

By Joseph H. Waggoner

THE LAW OF GOD.—NO. 6.

BY J. H. WAGGONER.

OBJECTIONS EXAMINED.

RELATED to the subject of the covenant, three objections are raised on expressions in the Old Testament, which we briefly notice.

(1.) On Deut. 5: 2-6, Moses thus speaks: “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, even us, who are all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the midst of the fire (I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord; for ye were afraid by reason of the fire, and went not up into the mount), saying, I am the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage,” &c.

From this it is inferred that the covenant which the Lord made with them was the law which he spake, when he spake face to face unto them. But this is a mistake. By comparing this with Ex. 19 and 20, to which it refers, it will be seen that two things are here spoken of, namely, the making of the covenant with them, and speaking to them audibly from the midst of the fire. That these are two distinct things is shown by the words of Moses, “I stood between the Lord and you at that time, to show you the word of the Lord.” This was the case when the covenant was made, but not the case when the ten commandments were spoken. Thus in Ex. 19: 3, the Lord said to Moses, “Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel.” Then follow the promises and conditions which God stated on his part; and verse 7 says, “And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.” This is exactly according to the statement of Moses in Deut. 5, where he speaks of the Lord’s making a covenant with them. When that covenant was made he did indeed stand between the Lord and them, to show them the word of the Lord. First, he took the word of the Lord to them, containing the conditions they were to fulfill, and the promises the Lord made which were based on the proposed obedience to the conditions. And when the people made promise on their part, he returned their answer to the Lord. Thus the covenant or contract was made between them, Moses acting as mediator between the parties. Three days afterward the Lord himself declared the words of the condition in the hearing of all the people. When he spake the ten commandments Moses did not stand between the Lord and them to show them the word of the Lord, but all the host of Israel heard the words from the mount, out of the midst of the fire. Thus it plainly appears that the inference drawn from Deut. 5, that the ten commandments was the covenant made with them through the intervention of Moses, is not correct.

(2.) 1 Kings 8: 21: “And I have set there a place for the ark, wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers, when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.” The same chapter states that there was nothing in the ark but the two tables of stone; and on these were nothing but the ten commandments. From this it is inferred that the covenant made with Israel was in the ark, and of course it was the ten commandments, because they were in the ark.

But this inference is neither necessary nor just. The text does not say that the covenant made with their fathers was in the ark, though many read it so. The word, wherein, refers to the place for the ark, not to the ark itself. The most literal rendering would read: “And I have set there a place for the ark, in which place is the covenant,” &c. And thus this objection vanishes on examination of the text. That the covenant made with them was in that place, but not in the ark, will appear upon a brief examination of another objection.

(3.) Deut. 31: 26: “Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee.” From this it is inferred that the book of the law was put in the ark, and as the covenant made with Israel was in the book, it is inferred again that that covenant was in the ark. But both these inferences are unwarranted.

No less a writer than Prideaux says that the word rendered in the side “cannot truly have any other meaning in the Hebrew language” than by the side. The use of the word in the Old Testament proves the correctness of his statement. We give such instances only as have the original in the same form in which it is found in this text.

Josh. 3: 16: “The waters which came down from above stood and rose up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that is beside Zaretan.”

Josh. 12: 9: “The king of Ai, which is beside Bethel, one.”

Ruth 2: 14: “And she sat beside the reapers.”

1 Sam. 6: 8: “And take the ark of the Lord, and lay it upon the cart; and put the jewels of gold, which ye return him for a trespass offering, in a coffer by the side thereof.”

1 Sam. 20: 20: “And Jonathan arose, and Abner sat by Saul’s side.” Others might be given, but this is sufficient.

And this makes still more certain our construction of 1 Kings 8: 21. The covenant which was made with Israel, which was written in the book, was put by the side of the ark, in the place which was made for the ark, the most holy. And this leaves a clear distinction between that covenant and the Lord’s covenant of ten commandments, which was written on tables of stone and put inside the ark.

Temptation of Christ.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.

(Continued.)

STRANGE FIRE.

Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, who ministered in the holy office of priesthood, partook freely of wine, and, as was their usual custom, went in to minister before the Lord. The priests who burned incense before the Lord were required to use the fire of God’s kindling, which burned day and night, and was never extinguished. God gave explicit directions how every part of his service should be conducted, that all connected with his sacred worship might be in accordance with his holy character. And any deviation from the express directions of God in connection with his holy service was punishable with death. No sacrifice would be acceptable to God which was not salted nor seasoned with divine fire, which represented the communication between God and man that was opened through Jesus Christ alone. The holy fire which was to be put upon the censer was kept burning perpetually. And while the people

of God were without, earnestly praying, the incense kindled by the holy fire was to arise before God, mingled with their prayers. This incense was an emblem of the mediation of Christ.

Aaron’s sons took the common fire which God did not accept, and they offered insult to the infinite God by presenting this strange fire before him. God consumed them by fire for their positive disregard of his express directions. All their works were as the offering of Cain. There was no divine Saviour represented. Had these sons of Aaron been in full command of their reasoning faculties they would have discerned the difference between the common and sacred fire. The gratification of appetite debased their faculties and so beclouded their intellect that their power of discernment was gone. They fully understood the holy character of the typical service, and the awful solemnity and responsibility assumed of presenting themselves before God to minister in sacred service.

Some may inquire, How could the sons of Aaron have been accountable when their intellects were so far paralyzed by intoxication that they were not able to discern the difference between sacred and common fire? It was when they put the cup to their lips that they made themselves responsible for all their acts committed while under the influence of wine. The indulgence of appetite cost those priests their lives. God expressly forbade the use of wine that would have an influence to becloud the intellect.

“And the Lord spake unto Aaron, saying, Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die; it shall be a statute forever throughout your generations; and that ye may put difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean; and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.”

The special injunction of God to the Hebrews in reference to the use of intoxicating liquors should be regarded in this dispensation. But many who are holding the highest responsibilities in our country are, in too many cases, liquor-and-tobacco slaves.

Jurors in our courts, by whose verdict the innocence or guilt of their fellow-men is decided, are many of them liquor-drinkers and tobacco-inebriates. And, while under the influence of these, which becloud the intellect and debase the soul, judgment is given upon the liberty and life of their fellow-men.

Perverted judgment in many cases clears from all punishment the greatest criminals, when the safety of society demands they should receive the full penalty of the law which they have violated.

The men who are legislating and those who are executing the laws of our government, while they are violating the laws of their being in debasing appetites, which stupefy and paralyze the intellect, are not fitted to decide the destiny of their fellow-men. Those only who feel the necessity of keeping soul, body, and spirit, in conformity to natural law, to the end that they may preserve the right balance of their mental powers, are fitted to decide important questions in reference to the executions of the law of our land. This was the mind of God by decrees to the Hebrews that wine should not be used by those who ministered in holy office.

Here we have the most plain directions of God, and his reasons for prohibiting the use of wine; that their power of discrimination and discernment might be clear, and in no way confused; that their judgment might be correct, and they be ever able to discern between the clean and unclean. Another reason of weighty importance why they should abstain from anything which would intoxicate, is also given. It would require the full use of unclouded reason to present to the children of Israel all the statutes which God had spoken to them.

Anything in eating and drinking which disqualifies the mental powers for healthful and active exercise is an aggravating sin in the sight of God. Especially is this the case with those who minister in holy things, who should at all times be examples to the people, and be in a condition to properly instruct them.

Notwithstanding they have this striking example before them, some professed Christians will desecrate the house of God with breaths polluted with the fumes of liquor and tobacco. And the spittoons are sometimes filled with the ejected spittle and quids of tobacco. The effluvia is constantly arising from these receptacles, polluting the atmosphere. Men professing to be Christians bow to worship God, and dare to pray to him with their lips stained by tobacco, while their half-paralyzed nerves tremble from the exhausting use of this powerful narcotic. And this is the devotion they offer to a holy, and sin-hating God. Ministers in the sacred desk, with mouth and lips defiled, dare to take the sacred word of God in their polluted lips. They think God does not notice their sinful indulgence. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” God will no more receive a sacrifice from the hands of those who thus pollute themselves, and offer with their service the incense of tobacco and liquor, than he would receive the offering of the sons of Aaron, who offered incense with strange fire.

God has not changed. He is as particular and exact in his requirements now as he was in the days of Moses. But in the sanctuaries of worship in our day, with the songs of praise, the prayers, and the teaching from the pulpit, there is not merely strange fire, but positive defilement. Instead of truth’s being preached with holy unction from God, it is sometimes spoken under the influence of tobacco and brandy. Strange fire indeed! Bible truth and Bible holiness are presented to the people, and prayers are offered to God, mingled with the stench of tobacco! Such incense is most acceptable to Satan! A terrible deception is this! What an offense in the sight of God! What an insult to him who is holy, dwelling in light unapproachable!

If the faculties of the mind were in healthful vigor, professed Christians would discern the inconsistency of such worship. Like Nadab and Abihu, their sensibilities are so blunted that they make no difference between the sacred and common. Holy and sacred things are brought down upon a level with their tobacco-nized breaths, benumbed brains, and their polluted souls, defiled through indulgence of appetite and passion. Professed Christians eat and drink, smoke and chew tobacco, and become gluttons and drunkards, to gratify appetite, and still talk of overcoming as Christ overcame!!

(To be Continued.)

CONTENTMENT springs from humility.

FALSE REASONING OF OPPONENTS.

The opposers of the law of God affect to think that they have established their premises when they have shown that the ten commandments are, in the Scriptures, called a covenant. But in showing that, they do nothing whatever toward maintaining their position. It is one thing to prove that they were a covenant, and quite another to prove that they were the first covenant, to which Paul refers when he says it is passed away. It is neither the first found in the Scriptures, nor the first recorded after the children of Israel were led out of Egypt. There is a contract or agreement found in Ex. 19, not only answering to the first signification of the word, covenant, but it possesses exactly the characteristics which are ascribed to the “old covenant” in the Scriptures. It was made with them three days before the ten commandments were spoken to them. Note the promises, and the Lord’s reference to them in the promise to make the new covenant. In the covenant,

They agreed to obey his voice and to keep his covenant.
For which the Lord promised to regard them as a peculiar treasure unto himself.

Their failure and the consequences are referred to in the prophecy of the new covenant, so as, unmistakably, to point out this as the first covenant.

“They continued not in my covenant”—they did not fulfill their agreement.
“And I regarded them not, saith the Lord”; he therefore refused to fulfill his promise.

Indeed, it was impossible that he should regard them according to the covenant of Ex. 19, for he therein promised to regard them as “a holy nation”—“a peculiar treasure above all people.” But inasmuch as they did not regard his moral law—the rule of holiness—they were not holy; they were sinners, even as all the nations around them. And if God had then regarded them as a peculiar treasure above all people, or as a holy nation, he would have denied himself, for such was not their character. In the matter of that covenant God acted toward them as he always acts, as he will deal with us, according to his own declaration: “Them that honor me I will honor; and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” 1 Sam. 2:30.

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