International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, Cal. · Dec 8, 1887
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR CHRIST.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
CHRISTMAS and New Year's will soon be here, and what plans are we making in reference to them? How shall we employ them so that we may be workers together with God? The people in general celebrate the professed anniversary of the Saviour's birth, by feasting and merriment, and by making gifts to earthly friends. Time, thought, and money are devoted to these things, and Christ and his cause are neglected. The very day chosen to honor Christ is devoted by the many to honoring and pleasing themselves. Appointed to keep the Saviour in remembrance, it is spent in causing him to be forgotten.
The Christian should pursue a course the opposite of this. At these seasons God's grace is brought before us in a special manner. We are bidden not only to recall the manifold blessings of the year, the rich gifts which Providence has so bounteously bestowed, but above all to remember the priceless gift of God's dear Son. Here is an exhaustless theme for thought. The perfection of our Saviour's character awakens the admiration of angels. The brightest and most exalted of the sons of the morning heralded his glory at creation, and with songs of gladness announced his birth. They veil their faces before him as he sits upon his throne; they cast their crowns at his feet, and sing his triumphs as they behold his resplendent glory. Yet this glorious Being loved the poor sinner, and took upon him the form of a servant, that he might suffer and die in man's behalf. Jesus might have remained at the Father's right hand, wearing the kingly crown and royal robes; but he chose to exchange all the riches, honor, and glory of Heaven for the poverty of humanity, and his station of high command for the anguish of Gethsemane, and the humiliation and agony of Calvary.
Oh, the mysteries of redemption! How dark and selfish is the human heart that can turn away from such incomparable love, and set itself upon the vain things of this world! Our souls are cold and dull because we do not dwell upon the matchless charms of our Redeemer. If we occupy our thoughts in contemplating his love and mercy, we shall reflect the same in our life and character; for by beholding we become changed. Only by exalting Jesus and abasing self can we celebrate aright the birth of the Son of God.
God's purposes of grace toward us are measureless. Rich and glorious beyond our power to express or to conceive are the blessings of redemption. Yet God has not left us to the enjoyment of these without requiring returns on our part. He calls us to become co-laborers with Christ in the great plan of salvation. All who receive his grace are to communicate the precious gift to others. It was by a sacrifice that redemption was purchased for us, and we, in our turn, are to sacrifice, to make known to others the unsearchable riches of Christ.
When selfishness is striving for the victory, let us look to our Exemplar. The cross of Calvary appeals to every follower of Jesus to unite with the Saviour in seeking that which was lost. The wounded hands, the pierced side, the marred feet, plead for the sinner, whose redemption was purchased at such a cost.
If we keep Christmas at all, we should show that we understand its significance. Instead of saying by our actions that we are putting Christ out of our minds and hearts, let us testify to men, to angels, and to God, that we remember our Redeemer, by following his example of self-denial for others' good.
The end of all things is at hand. "The great day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly." The people of the world are to be warned. Are we doing what we might and should do to diffuse the precious light of truth? Brethren, you see the truth, you understand the claims of God's law, you know that no willful transgressor can enter into life; and yet you see that law made void in the world. What is your duty? You are not to ask, What is convenient for me? What is agreeable? but, What can I do to save souls?
All around us, on the right hand and on the left, lies our work; everywhere are souls to be won for Jesus. The men and women whom we daily meet are Judgment-bound. They are either to live to offer praise to God and the Lamb through ceaseless ages, or they will perish with the wicked. Christ suffered and died that they might enjoy a blissful eternity. What sacrifice are we willing to make for their salvation?
The people are perishing for lack of knowledge. There are hundreds and thousands in our own country that know nothing of the special truths for this time. In other lands millions are buried in ignorance and superstition. There are those who will be responsible for these souls that have never heard the truth.
Brethren and sisters, I present before you our foreign missions as the object of your Christmas gifts. While we are not to neglect the fields at our own doors, let us at this time remember those that are in still greater darkness and destitution. Few realize the vast extent of the work which God has committed to us in our foreign missions. Europe alone, with an area about the same as ours, has a population of 350,000,000,—six times that of the United States. And this is made up of many nations and peoples, that differ widely in their habits and customs, and among whose teeming millions more than a score of languages are spoken, with hundreds of dialects.
It is under many difficulties, and only by self-denial and sacrifice, that the missionary work in Europe has been carried forward. There is great poverty among the laboring classes. In Italy the most capable workmen in the factories receive only fifty cents for sixteen hours' work, and those less experienced twenty-five cents, and from this meager pittance some are obliged to support a family of from eight to twelve. In Scandinavia the common laboring man earns about fifty-three cents, with which he pays his house rent and taxes, and supports his family. Those who accept the truth run the risk of being thrown out of employment, besides cutting themselves off from all hope of assistance from other churches or missionary societies. Often starvation stares them in the face. Of course this class can do little toward supporting those who labor among them.
In the Piedmont Valleys it is difficult for the missionary to gain access to the people in summer, as they leave their villages, and ascend738the mountains to find pasture for their cattle. Upon returning to their homes at the approach of winter, they take up their abode in the stables, the heat from their animals supplying the lack of fuel. It is here that the colporter must meet them. In many places halls cannot be obtained, and meetings and Bible-readings are held in the stables. Sometimes as many as forty or fifty persons assemble to hear the truth. In some places the worker has walked seven miles, twice a week, to hold an evening meeting, returning home in the darkness—for he could not afford a lantern—across the mountains, and along the edge of precipices where he was obliged to creep on his hands and knees. During our visit in Italy two of the workers walked fifteen miles to an evening service, returning on foot next morning, to save the small sum required for railroad fare. Thus in the midst of poverty and hardship, our brethren across the sea are seeking to spread the light of truth. Can we to whom God has intrusted means, who are enjoying so many of the comforts and even the luxuries of life, stand by and refuse to lend them a helping hand?
In nearly all parts of Europe the laws are more or less oppressive upon those who observe the Sabbath. But there are few countries in which the difficulties in the way of presenting the truth are greater than in Russia. Proselyting from the State church is forbidden; preaching by dissenters is prohibited; even colportage must be conducted with great caution, or the missionary will render himself liable to imprisonment, or exile to Siberia. Yet notwithstanding all this, and although comparatively little labor has been given to this field, there are two hundred Sabbath-keepers in Russia. This result is due in a great degree to the influence of our publications. All over the wide field these silent messengers are preparing hearts to receive the warning.
What is needed now in all our European missions is means to send out laborers, and to enable our printing-houses to publish books in the different languages. There are colporters willing to work if they can have the books. Shall we not supply them?
The banner of truth is to be unfurled in far-distant countries. The great and testing truths which God has committed to us are to be given to all nations, tongues, and peoples. We invite all, men, women, and children, at the coming Christmas to do all that they possibly can do to aid in the accomplishment of this work. Let us throughout our churches unitedly resolve not to make the holidays a time of feasting and selfish gratification. Let us excuse the members of our household from making presents to us. Our time, our money, belongs to God. Every hour, every moment, is precious. Dollars, dimes, and even pennies should be treasured up to aid in bringing souls to Christ and the truth. Shall not every needless ornament, every extravagance, every selfish indulgence, be given up, and all these little outgoes, these tiny streams, flow into the Lord's treasury? Past pledges should now be canceled, as far as possible. Those who have robbed God in tithes and offerings should come before him and make restitution. And to these let us add our free-will gifts.
Let your Christmas tree be dedicated to God, and let its boughs be laden with offerings for Christ. Do not give as though it were a task, doling out your donations with a niggardly hand. Good works are no drudgery. In giving to us his Son, God has poured out to us all Heaven in one gift. Let us with an overflowing heart, with gratitude and joy because of Christ's matchless love, bring him our offerings. Teach your children by your own example the blessedness of doing for Christ. Train them to go on errands of love for him, and in all their gifts to remember the gracious Giver.
If there are any who are in need of food or comfortable clothing, they should be remembered; we are not to neglect Christ in the person of his saints. But let us be constantly seeking to make God and his cause first in our thoughts and plans.
Many hardly know as yet what self-denial is, or what it is to suffer for the truth's sake; but none will enter Heaven without making a sacrifice. Yet self-denial will not make us joyless; it will not cast a shadow upon our holidays. It is not what we have, not the abundance of the things of this life, that will make us happy. Our happiness depends upon the relation we sustain to God. An approving conscience, a contented spirit, sweet communion with Jesus, will make us the happiest beings in the world.
God marks and remembers every act of liberality performed by his people. Every effort we make for Christ will be rewarded by him. If the means intrusted to our keeping is employed for his glory, to save souls, he will give more into our hands. Every ray of light shed upon others will be reflected upon our own hearts. Every act performed, every gift bestowed, with an eye single to the glory of God, will result in blessings to the giver. No joy can equal the assurance of being an instrument in the hands of God of saving souls.
I pray God that those who profess to be followers of Christ may in truth follow in his steps; that they may be rivals in their missionary efforts; that they may be temperate in all things; that they may run with patience the race for the incorruptible reward; that when the Judgment shall sit and the books shall be opened, all may receive the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give them at that day.
JUDGE NOT.
By Mrs. A. Robinson
JUDGE not; for why should mortal weak
Attempt to judge his fellow-man?
Our own heart sins more numerous are
Than mighty ocean's shifting sand.
Forgiveness only marks the road
That leads us to our Father God.
Judge not; the mote within thine eye
May larger than thy brother's be;
While striving to remove the one
You may be like the Pharisee;
Self-righteousness may blind thee quite,
And heavy "beams" shut out the light.
Judge not; perchance within the soul
Repentance as a germ may lie;
Then water it with tender love,
Nor let harsh judgment make it die;
Our fellow-trav'ler's life demands
The tend'rest pity at our hands.
Judge not; to God alone belongs
The judgment of created man;
His wisdom guides; his love directs
His justice—an unbroken span;
Then leave to God alone the time
Of judgment,—'tis a work divine.
—Mrs. A. Robinson.
OUTWARD MORALITY AND INWARD PURITY.
By Methodist Recorder
A MAN may be outwardly moral without being a Christian, but he cannot be a Christian without being moral. . . . While outward morality should be insisted upon as an essential accompaniment of true piety, it should ever be remembered that it is not sufficient of itself to secure the salvation of the soul. A man's life may apparently be blameless, and yet his heart may be averse to God, and full of moral impurity. To be a Christian, a man must not only have clean hands, but also a pure heart; he must not only be right in his outward acts, but also in his moral affections, purposes, and aims. True religion is heart work. It goes to the very center and core of man's moral being, inspires him with spiritual life, and creates him anew after the image of his Maker. It transforms his whole spiritual nature, and brings him into harmony, in all the moral affections and purposes of his soul, with God. It cleanses away all spiritual defilement, and purifies the fountain of thought and affection. In a word, it makes him one with Christ. He is spiritually united to him. Christ is formed in his heart the hope of glory. He is his life. His Spirit quickens and animates him. And being thus united to him, he is made a partaker of his holiness. He is washed; he is sanctified. The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth him from all sin.
This great truth should never be forgotten, that outward morality and inward purity are essential to the salvation of the soul. Neither of these can be dispensed with. While we should be careful to maintain good works, we should also remember that none but the pure in heart shall see God. Morality can never take the place of true heart religion, nor can any amount of spiritual experience and enjoyment release a man from the duties of morality. While there are many who trust in mere outward morality to save them, there are others who make loud professions of religion, whose lives are sadly out of harmony with their profession. Let us remember that if we would secure the favor of God and a home in Heaven, we must be pure in heart and upright in life—we must be holy and obedient.—Methodist Recorder.
WEEDS.
WE are hoeing in the orchard to-day. A few weeds have started since we cultivated it. They will not average one to a square yard. They are very small. They look very innocent. Some of them are quite pretty. But we cut them all down. If one of those weeds should say: "Oh! spare me, I am a harmless little thing; and surely there is room enough in your great field for those trees and for me too. I don't want to supplant them. I could not if I would. I only ask you to let me grow under their shadow." What would we say to this appeal? Would we not reply: "You are little now, indeed, but if we leave you you will grow. In a few weeks you will be large enough to steal moisture from the soil that will affect the growth and fruitage of the trees. The nourishment you would abstract would make several pounds of apples or pears. We plow and fertilize and irrigate here in order to get fruit; and in this effort you will oppose us to the extent of your ability. You are a thief and a robber. But this is not all. If we let you grow you will go to seed. You will scatter the germs of a wide growth of weeds on this mellow soil, and next year we shall have to cut down thousands of your children. No, no, little weed, though you look so innocent, you are dangerous, and you must die."
"But," persists the weed, "did not God make me as well as the tree? What right have you to destroy so ruthlessly anything that he has created or even permits to grow?"
And then we have to go to the Bible. We remind the weed that he is not even named in the first or second chapters of Genesis. The earliest mention of him is in Gen. 3:18. When God cursed the ground after Adam sinned, he said to him, "Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee." Weeds sprang up outside of Eden as one of the consequences of the fall. They belong not to the earth in its natural, but in its fallen condition. God permits them to grow in order to increase the toil and sorrow in which we are to earn our daily bread. The locusts that devour our harvests and make our fruitful fields as barren as the desert, are creatures of God. They are beautiful, too. But shall we therefore yield to them and slave that they may live? There are a great many creatures of God in this fallen world that we must fight against. We don't live in the garden that God beautified and blessed, but outside of it on the soil that has been blighted by sin.
While hoeing these weeds in the orchard I could not help thinking about the weeds that spring up in our hearts. They are evil thoughts and desires that soon grow into evil habits. How innocent they seem at first. They start up in the soul of our fallen nature as spontaneously as weeds. They are not exotics that we have to import. They appear without any seed sowing or planting. And for this reason men say that we have a right to let them grow. But if a habit is useless, if it consumes time or money that might739be profitably employed, then it is a weed. It is not merely a cumberer of the ground, but interferes with the growth of the plants of righteousness and ought to be destroyed.
Nothing in this world, except weeds, grows so rankly as evil habits. An indulgence that looks to-day like that tiny green shoot from a thistle seed will soon become a hedge of thorns. The soil of our moral nature, corrupted by depravity, is full of germs that are ready to spring up and choke away every growth of the good seed of the kingdom. Our business is to watch for these weeds and to destroy them relentlessly as soon as they appear. This is the work of our probation. Upon our doing it faithfully depends our success in this life and our happiness in the life to come.
It will not do for the lazy and self-indulgent to say: "I have a natural appetite for this thing. God made me to love it and to desire it. It is one of his good creatures, and it does me no harm." This is what the drunkard says when he begins to take a little wine to help digestion or to enliven social intercourse. That single glass a day is like the weed in the shadow of my young fruit tree. It is the germ of a possible growth that may blight the hopes of the soul for time and for eternity. It is our duty to look ahead and to inquire what is the tendency of such things. Those weeds in my orchard may die for want of moisture. Gophers may eat their roots and destroy them. But I won't trust to such contingencies. I know that they may live, and if they live they are bound to grow, and therefore I cut them down. And so ought every man to reason who is tempted to form any useless habit. It may not live until it becomes a tyrant. But that has been the history of such habits in thousands of instances. The history may be repeated in your case, and the only way to be sure that it will not is to kill the habit as soon as it appears.
I am sick and tired of hearing people say, "It does no harm." "It is an innocent indulgence." The question for an intellectual and moral being to ask is, "Will it do any good?" Life is too short and the interests depending upon it are too momentous for us to waste an hour or an energy upon things that are useless. If there were in pleasurable indulgences the tendency to positive evil, we cannot afford them heart room any more than I can afford these weeds orchard room. We need all the soil within for the germination and culture of truth and purity and love. John says: "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." The world is not all vice and crime. But it is, in its whole native growth, ungodly. All our devotion to it—its interest and its customs—interferes with that full consecration of the soul to God, in which only it can live. Let us uproot every thought, feeling, or habit that does not tend to promote our growth in grace. Thus only will we be as wise as the orchardist who will not spare any weed that may possibly injure the growth of his trees.—Rusticus.
NEARER HEAVEN.
By Rev. John Bate
THE simple fact of our time getting shorter every day does not imply that we are getting also nearer Heaven. As time is flying, it may carry us on its wings nearer hell than Heaven. The true and only reliable rule by which to judge upon this point is whether we are getting nearer holiness. If we are growing in conformity to the divine likeness and nature; if we are dying daily to sin and living unto God; if we are realizing more and more of the love of Christ within us; if we are rising higher in spirituality of affection and thought; if we are delighting ourselves more heartily in the service of God, then are we, indeed, getting nearer Heaven.
Let us distinctly and vividly understand this. There is a danger lest we think too much of Heaven as a place of beauty, of pleasure, of glory, of great society, without thinking of it as a place of spotless purity; and all those features of Heaven as arising out of this. Let us, then, press on toward purity, through the blood of the Lamb; and in the proportion we do this we shall get nearer Heaven.—Rev. John Bate.
A LIKENESS.
By C. P. Bollman
IN reading an article a few days since entitled, "How Mongolians Pray," I was impressed with the thought that after all human nature is much the same everywhere, and heathen and professed Christians are very much alike in this, at least, that they each choose their own way rather than God's way. After speaking of praying barrels, praying wheels, clock-work praying wheels, praying flags, etc., etc., the writer says:—
“The whole thing would be laughable were it not too serious a matter by far for laughter. The deluded worshipers really believe that this charm repeating, and wheel turning, and flag fluttering, makes merit which cancels sin. They live in this belief, and they die with this lie in their right hand. This idea, too, is the cause of much sin. Believing as he does that this merit cancels sin, a Mongol aims not at leaving sin and being holy, but at providing for plenty of merit.”
It is merit that cancels sin; not the merit of saying long and numerous prayers, however, but the merit of the Lord Jesus Christ, received by humble faith in his atoning sacrifice. But the faith that would appropriate this merit must be a faith that works. The apostle James says, "Faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." And again, "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" The Mongol trusts wholly for merit to a certain class of works; the misguided Christian makes an equally fatal mistake by trusting wholly to faith without corresponding works.
We know that faith is essential, and that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."4But we know also that the first strain of the song of the angels on the plains of Bethlehem was, "Glory to God;" the second was, "On earth, peace, good-will toward men." The work of redemption is complete only when all that was lost in Adam is restored in Christ, and this includes not only a right to the paradise of God, but the ability and the disposition to obey God perfectly, as our first parents did before the fall, and as they might have continued to do had they not listened to the voice of the tempter. Indeed, so important is this thought that the apostle Paul speaks of it in one place as though it were the sole object of Christ's coming to this earth; he says: "For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and by a sacrifice for sin [margin], condemned sin in the flesh; that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
How few, comparatively, there are who ever look at the matter in this light, and so thousands upon thousands in Christian lands are blindly trusting to a dead faith in Christ, which works little or no reformation in the life, and which, instead of glorifying God, brings dishonor upon his cause and name. A faith that does not lead its possessor to a cheerful, willing obedience to all of God's requirements is no better than the senseless mummeries of those who expect to acquire merit by the multitude of prayers which they recite, or which they are supposed to recite, by carrying a flag or turning a wheel.
C. P. BOLLMAN.
THE SECRET OF A HAPPY DAY.
By Frances Ridley Havergal
"The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him."
Just to let thy Father do
What he will;
Just to know that he is true,
And be still.
Just to follow hour by hour
As he leadeth;
Just to draw the moment's power
As it needeth.
Just to trust him, this is all!
Then the day will surely be
Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall,
Bright and blessed, calm and free.
Just to let him speak to thee
Through his word,
Watching, that his voice may be
Clearly heard.
Just to tell him everything
As it rises,
And at once to him to bring
All surprises.
Just to listen, and to stay
Where you cannot miss his voice,
This is all! and thus to-day
Communing, you shall rejoice.
Just to ask him what to do
All the day,
And to make you quick and true
To obey.
Just to know the needed grace
He bestoweth,
Every bar of time and place
Overfloweth.
Just to take thy orders straight
From the Master's own command.
Blessed day! when thus we wait
Always at our Sovereign's hand.
Just to recollect his love,
Always true,
Always shining from above,
Always new.
Just to recognize its light
All-enfolding,
Just to claim its present might,
All-upholding.
Just to know it as thine own,
That no power can take away.
Is not this enough alone
For the gladness of the day?
Just to trust, and yet to ask
Guidance still;
Take the training or the task,
As he will.
Just to take the loss and gain
As he sends it;
Just to take the joy or pain
As he lends it.
He who formed thee for his praise
Will not miss the gracious aim;
So to-day and all thy days
Shall be moulded for the same.
Just to leave in his dear hand
Little things,
All we cannot understand,
All that stings.
Just to let him take the care
Sorely pressing,
Finding all we let him bear
Changed to blessing.
This is all! and yet the way
Marked by him who loves thee best;
Secret of a happy day,
Secret of his promised rest.
—F. R. Havergal.
The Preciousness of Prayer
It is the sad, sorrowful, and disappointed heart that oftenest is taught the preciousness and worth of prayer.
WORK.
EVERY human being should work in some way for the advancement of Christ's cause on the earth; and he should work cheerfully, remembering that God is not a hard master. Work and smile; work and rejoice; work and sing as you work; work now, while the day lasts; work while in good health; work to the end, doing with your might what your hands find to do; work to make people happy here as well as hereafter; work in the church, and out of it; work skillfully, like any good workman that needeth not to be ashamed; work in this beautiful world, the temple of God, to make it more beautiful; work in the pulpit, lecture-room, at home, abroad, in the field, the nursery, at the forge—anywhere where God has placed you. Don't stand around, all the day idle. Don't postpone to-day's work until a more convenient to-morrow. Don't attempt the work of an orator if you are not gifted in that direction. Don't attempt to do what you cannot do well.
Work as a Christian while you work as a blacksmith, or a shoemaker, or a merchant, doctor, or financier. Work anywhere, in any respectable calling, rather than stand still as a nobody and a do-nothing; and remember that in working, if you expect success, you must in all your work seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, believing that all other things shall be added unto you. In all your labors, remember that the hardest work in this world will end in a complete failure if you neglect to work out your own salvation. Don't fail of that. Don't shirk, and "retire" from work while you have health and strength to work, no matter how old you are. Let come what will, stand up erect like a man, doing your own work manfully and hopefully.—Independent.
GOSPEL PREACHING.
By Arthur T. Pierson
THE maxim of Paul, "preach the gospel; not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect," is a golden mile-stone from which many roads lead; and into what fields of thought they open!
The church is largely leavened with the world, adopts worldly maxims, and robes the gospel in worldly charms, seeking by making it attractive to make it effective. The pulpit sometimes becomes the platform for lectures more fit for the lyceum, and sometimes a stage for dramatic acting more fit for the theater. The service of sacred song is turning into a display of art, in which an appeal to esthetic taste takes the place of the divine savor and flavor of worship. In His house, where "the Lord alone shall be exalted," classical music is exalted, pagans and papists are hired to lead us in praise; or a profane, drunken organist sometimes uses the keys of the grandest of instruments to play out the congregation, and play out the impression of the gospel! We build Gothic cathedrals, furnish them with crimson and gold, adorn them with the pencil and chisel of art; then we have concerts and lectures, fairs and festivals, entertainments and excursions; and we say, "Surely we shall draw the people to the house of God." But they do not come. The writer went to a splendid church on the Pacific Coast, where a silver-tongued preacher had his throne, and a choir of artists warbled music; there were seven performances by organ and quartette and then a grand oration, but the church was more than half empty.
Such charms do not permanently draw the eyes of men to God's house, and their feet to his altars and feasts. Zion's attractions are peculiar to herself; they "are not of the world, even as He is not of the world." The church, robed in the world's charms, instead of drawing the world to herself and to Christ, takes the infection of the worldly spirit; therefore her Master bade her "keep herself unspotted from the world," "hating even the garment that is spotted by the flesh."
If we mean to draw souls to God's house, let it be by proper charms of a pure gospel, simple and soul-satisfying; by praise full of devotion, and of prayer full of devoutness; by that atmosphere which is peculiar to the assembly of true worshipers. These secular attractions, even while their powers last, make the cross of none effect; they turn the mind from things of Christ. Even when they draw, it is in the same direction as the world does.
If the church would attract worldly souls, she must offer them what the world does not and cannot—solid, substantial satisfaction, draughts of living water from a divine fountain, and not stagnant water from a broken cistern. Quench the thirst of souls and they will come.—Arthur T. Pierson.
"WHERE ARE THE NINE?"
By Jean E. Lancashire
"Going to prayer-meeting to-night?" asked Mrs. Blair.
"Oh, dear!" sighed I, "I am so tired, and we have hardly time to get there. It is quite a walk for tired feet down to that church, Mrs. Blair."
"The longer we sit here the less time there is. And there is the car, you know."
"Five cents to go, five cents to come. Can't afford it. Still, I have not been to prayer-meeting in three months; I suppose it is my duty as a member of the church to go once in a while, so I'll go to-night. I would be glad to go often, but it is always like this—too tired—too little time—too poor."
To make up for lost time we hurried into our wraps and walked briskly down the street. We were a little late, for the small company of worshipers were singing when we entered.
The pastor rose at the close of the song of praise. He looked slowly about the room.
"Were there not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? This church records a membership of four hundred; making the figure as large as we can, one hundred are present. Some have come because they love the house of God—they love to meet in prayer. Others of you (alas! it is too true) have come because it is your duty. You are members of the church; if for nothing but appearance's sake, you must come once in a while."
Oh, accusing conscience, keep still! Your careless words are returning to attack you.
"One hundred present," continued the pastor; "where are the three hundred? We must be fair. Some could stand before the throne of God and feel their excuse was a worthy one. They are lying on beds of sickness and suffering. They may be watching beside the dying. Mayhap it is a deed of mercy, for which they had no other time, has kept them away. Some mother must stay by her restless babe. We will be lenient. One hundred could not by any possible means have come. Where are the two hundred? Where? Would they willingly stand before a God of power and justice, and say: 'I was too tired to go to thy courts as thou hast commanded.' 'I owe a duty to my family, and had a game of romp with the children.' 'A great singer was to be here, and music is an educator to soul and mind'? Where are the two hundred? Workers in Christ's vineyard, be faithful. Where?"
The pastor came down the aisle after service, and as he heartily took my hand, I could not refrain from saying, prompted by my newly-awakened conscience:—
"Every word went to my heart. One of the tired ones among the two hundred has come back."
It is a rest, ye tired ones. I found it so. Try it and see.—Jean E. Lancashire, in Christian at Work.
THE HORN AGE.
By N. Y. Observer
IN the Canton of Neufchatel a gang of manufacturers of spurious archæological articles have been recently convicted and sentenced to terms of imprisonment, differing in length from several days to several months. If amusing ingenuity could have any weight in mitigating punishment, it would lighten the sentence of the scamp who invented the "horn age" for the enthusiastic antiquarian, and then disinterred various articles which he had prepared to represent this imaginary period in the history of the lake-dwellers. His "horn age" is not one particle more imaginary than hundreds of other fancies with which men have entertained themselves while they have endeavored to use them to discredit the testimony of the Scriptures. Such credulity among learned investigators shows that it is not wise for the unlearned to be in haste to accept alleged discoveries until the evidence is satisfactory and convincing. Much vaunted biblical criticism in regard to the Old Testament Scriptures has no more foundation than the "horn age."
MINDING OTHER PEOPLE'S BUSINESS.
PAUL wrote to the Philippians, "Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." But in his letters to the Thessalonians and to Timothy he denounces busy-bodies, and Peter puts "busy-body in other men's matters" in the same category with murderers, thieves, and evildoers. 1 Peter 4:15. How shall we reconcile these passages? Evidently each of us is to take an interest in the affairs of our neighbor. We are, in a certain sense, to make them our own, because we are to love him as ourself. And yet we are not to be officious and meddlesome. We are not to make ourselves his conscience-keepers, to obtrude our advice unasked, to assume the right to control his affairs as we control our own.
Busybodyism is the perversion of the law of love. It is the Satanic interpretation of the second of those two commandments into which our Saviour condensed the decalogue. If I really love my neighbor as myself I will respect his rights. If I esteem him as highly as I esteem myself, I will give him credit for the ability to manage his own affairs without any outside dictation or suggestion. I am to look on the things of others only as I want others to look on my things. I am to take a benevolent interest in them and in theirs. I am to manage my own business so as not to injure them, and I am to be ready to help them if my help is needed.
The good Samaritan was not a busybody. But he would have been if he had stopped that man before the robbers met him and had insisted upon telling him just what he ought to do. The man had a right to go down from Jerusalem to Jericho if he chose. He probably had some good and sufficient reason for going. That was his business and none of the Samaritan's. But when the man was wounded, and needed help, then it was the Samaritan's business to help him. Then it was time to pause in looking at his own things in order to look on the things of that suffering fellow-man. This parable illustrates the principle. Love draws the line between an impertinent and a benevolent attention to the affairs of others. When we are sure that our interference is prompted solely by the spirit of the good Samaritan, we know that it is right.—Interior.