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Review and Herald, Vol. 48, No. 6.

THE POPE TO THE WORLD

Review and Herald

Aug 3, 1876

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Aug 3, 1876

THE POPE TO THE WORLD.

A Remarkable Discourse Delivered to an International Deputation.
If the pope is disposed, even though unwittingly, to herald to the world the fulfillment of the prophetic utterances in respect to himself and the papal hierarchy, he is entitled to a hearing. When the prophet said, “They shall take away his dominion to consume and destroy it unto the end,” he evidently had in view just that state of things in regard to the papal power which the pope in the following discourse, so piteously bewails. What he says about the dry bones rising again has no significance, only as it is calculated to still further inflame in the hearts of all papists their feelings of hatred and hostility against all other religions. These tokens should cause the people of God to look up and lift up their heads; for they indicate that the dawn of day and the expected hour of deliverance are near at hand.
“One of the most remarkable of the many remarkable discourses of the present Pontiff was pronounced by His Holiness in the Consistorial Hall in the Vatican on the 22d of March. It was addressed to an International Deputation, composed of representatives from England, Ireland, America, Austria, Poland, France, Holland, Belgium, Italy, and Germany. The Duc Descars was the President-General of the deputation. His Holiness entered the hall about midday, accompanied by five cardinals and a numerous court of bishops, prelates and laymen. Among the cardinals the noble figure of Cardinal Ledochowski was conspicuous. Near to him stood Monsignor Mermillod. Duc Descars read the address in a low voice and with great emotion. The reply of the Holy Father was delivered with a power and a clearness of voice especially remarkable. The vigor of the pope on this occasion gives every reason to believe that he will live for many years to come. On two occasions, at parts of his subject where particular emphasis was to be given, he smote his breast, and his voice rose and fell with the emotions begotten of his discourse. He said:—
“‘When I turn mine eyes around the different points of the Catholic world, I find before me everywhere the sad and dolorous spectacle of immense masses of ruins, caused by the cruel perfidy of the enemies of the church in the present revolution. I see convents and monasteries which were but lately inhabited by peaceful Cenobites and by virgin spouses of Christ, now deserted by their former occupants in order to make room for people strange and profane, and sometimes worse than profane. I see the fair riches and possessions of the church made the prey of the devourers of to-day, and destined to satiate the insatiable appetite of the revolution.
“‘I see ruins everywhere. I see the rights of the church trampled on and outraged, the ecclesiastical hierarchy interrupted and made useless, because all are condemned, no matter what their grade, to pay that most terrible of tributes, the tribute of blood in the fields of battle, and the church is impeded from selecting her own ministers. I see liberty of teaching rendered a monopoly, which every day augments the tyrannical oppression, and which is accompanied with error, and sometimes also with blasphemy. I see tolerance for many crimes and offenses against God, against morality, and against social order. And very often I see judicial sentences inspired, not by justice, but by the evil-born passions which ever dominate in times disturbed by revolution. These and many other things are what form the great mass of the ruins of the church, which, scattered here and there, occupy an immense space.
“‘While I consider this mournful picture I am reminded of the prophet Ezekiel. The prophet was by God transported in the spirit into a vast plain, all covered over with dry bones. And while he, amazed and astonished, pondered upon the doleful sight, he heard at his ear a voice from above which spoke to him and asked him, “Believest thou that these bones can have life?” The prophet, bending low, humbly responded, “Thou only canst do this, O my God. Domine Deus, tu nosti.” Then said God, “Prophesy concerning these bones. Know that these bones shall live. I will send spirit into them, and will again cover them with nerves, tendons, veins, and blood.
“‘Flesh shall once more return to them. Skin shall again clothe the perfect body, and they shall live.’” The prophet repeated the words of God, and while he uttered them there commenced a noise and then a commotion, caused by the bones, which sought to rearrange themselves to form the several bodies as they had been before. Factus est sonitus, et ecce commotio.
“‘The prophecy, my friends, indicated the end of the slavery of Israel and the return of the Jewish people to their own country. Now, I say that God, observing this present field of waste and ruins, of which I just spoke, heaped up with spoils of the church of Jesus Christ, cannot but ask each one of us, “Dost thou think these bones shall live?” and say to us, “Prophesy concerning these bones.” What, then, shall we answer? With resolute mind and unfaltering accents we shall answer: “Yes, all these bones shall rise again, for the church of Jesus Christ, to which they belong, can never perish. The church must last even to the consummation of the ages.”
“‘These ruins will indeed have a resurrection, but before that they will have also their commotion. Et ecce commotio. And this commotion is even now apparent. We may perceive it in your coming hither as obedient children to their Father. We may perceive it in the movement of Catholic nations in so many devout pilgrimages. We may trace this commotion in the echo of the fervid prayers which arise unto God in the sacred temples. The crowded tribunals of penance and the thronged eucharistic tables prove also that there is a movement among the ruins of the church of Jesus Christ.
“‘But at that time what will be the fate of the impious who are persecuting the church? We have the right to believe that the present persecutors of the church will have no other end than that of their predecessors, and that in the time ordained by Providence, God will stretch out his favoring hand over the church. We may expect that when the church shall have been completely purged and set free from the chains with which her foes and persecutors now bind her, God will cover her with a vestment of gold, and cause her to sit as a queen at the right hand of her divine founder. Astitit Regina a dextris tuis in vestitu deaurato.’”

PORTENTS IN THE EAST.

The European war-cloud, which but a few weeks ago was no bigger than a man's hand, is fast spreading over the whole Eastern sky. The dispatches from Vienna, Belgrade, Paris, Constantinople, and Berlin agree in the general information that the Porte having rejected Servia's ultimatum, war between Servia and Turkey is inevitable. The Prince Milan, the reigning Prince of Servia, yielding to the popular pressure, has taken the head of the army, and the whole of Servia is under military law. The Servian army for some time past has been on the Turkish frontier, facing the Turkish army, which is commanded by Abdul Kerim Pasha.
The war movements are not confined to Servia. That province cannot go into war without dragging all the others in also. Montenegro has taken the first step by summoning all Montenegrins to arms between the ages of seventeen and sixty years. The Herzegovinians have appointed a time to meet the Montenegrin chiefs and agree upon a mutual plan of operations when Servia strikes. Roumania, although neutral at present, only awaits the signal from Russia to join the attack. Bulgaria is in revolt, and the recent horrible cruelties of the Bashi-Bazouks (Turkish irregular troops) will spur her on to summary revenge. On the South the Greeks are all ready for the contest, and will take the Turks on the flank. If the great powers keep their hands off, Servia alone is a match for the Porte. With the aid of Montenegro, Herzegovina, and Bosnia on the west, Roumania and Bulgaria on the east, and the Greeks south of the Balkans, Turkey's doom is sealed.
The forthcoming war is the most important social movement of the present century, and the whole civilized world will watch its progress with intense interest. To drive the Turks out of Europe and restore the country to its old native population, to get rid of that Asiatic nightmare which has afflicted the Sclavic Christians so long and exposed them for centuries to barbarity, cruelty, superstition and fanaticism, to release twelve millions of Christians and drive back their Moslem oppressors is a movement more important than the unification of Germany, the emancipation of the serfs, or the unification of Italy—more important even than the abolition of American slavery. We only liberated 4,000,000 of slaves. This war of religion and races promises to release 12,000,000 of Christians of the old Greek Empire and to expel 5,000,000 of the worst population of Europe, the deadly enemies of progress, of liberty, and of human thought. It will not only restore these Christians to their civil and religious rights, but will be of value to the whole world. It will prove a blessing to commerce; will open up a country rich in wine, oil, cattle, and wheat; will afford an outlet for the manufacturing nations of Europe, and develop railroad building and general improvements. It will be a war in the interest of civilization and human progress.—Chicago Tribune.

THE EUROPEAN CRISIS.

[The following article is from the pen of Jas. B. Simpson, editor of the Dallas (Texas) Herald, and presents some interesting historical facts. It will be full of interest just at this time to all the readers of the REVIEW, and should be carefully pondered and compared with “Thoughts on Daniel.” E. G. Rust.]
Europe to-day seems verging upon another holy war. All that is requisite to produce it is for Murad Effendi to summon to his side the fierce and fanatical Softas and fling to the breeze the sacred standard of the prophet. The contest would spring at once from a scattering fight between rebellious subjects to a bloody conflict between Mohammedanism and Christianity; for every true believer from Hindostan to the blue waters of the historical Bosphorus, would rally to Murad’s relief. As stated by an exchange, the green flag of the prophet is the standard, not of the Sultan, but of the Caliph, and its unfurling is an act of the profoundest religious significance. It must be remembered that the title of Caliph (from Arabic calafa, to succeed) is the designation given to the successors of Mohammed, and is a much more ancient title than that of Sultan. The latter title is of Persian origin, having been first assumed by Mahmoud Gazni, the founder of the Gaznivide dynasty A. D. 999.
The word Sultan is originally an indeclinable noun of Arabic derivation. This title, like that of Shah, in Persia, has nearly superseded the title of Caliph, though the latter is the prerogative of all the true successors of the prophet. But the Persians, who have been described as the broad churchmen of Mohammedanism, care very much less for ancient words than the Turks do, and with them Sultan (Imperator Emperor) has for 900 years taken the place of Caliph (successor). The Sultan of Constantinople, the true head of the Mohammedan faith, has, however, never abandoned entirely his hereditary title of Caliph. When he ascends the throne, and the ordinary ceremonies of his accession are concluded, the crowning act of the ceremony is performed by the Softas, who carry himin state to the Mosque of Saint Sophia, and there invest him solemnly with the scimitar of the Caliphs. After this investiture, he becomes the absolute spiritual head of Islam, and if he once flings the green standard to the breeze and draws that sacred scimitar, every true Moslem is bound to follow him to the death. Death, indeed, in such a cause would be to the true believer the most welcome of boons, since it insures him an immediate entrance into a paradise in which his wildest visions of rapture will be more than realized.
The Turk has never lost his hatred for the “Christian dog,” who rejects his prophet, and there can be no doubt but that such a “crusade against the cross” would be supported by all the Mohammedan tribes. We have seen that the Softas have intimated their desire to be armed and sent to the front. Once actually in the field, it is not likely that these fiercest of the Mussulman fanatics will long remain without exerting their whole influence upon the course of the campaign, and any misunderstanding between the Porte and her Christian allies would be eagerly seized upon as a pretext for casting off all fellowship with unbelievers, and concentrating upon the line of religion and of race.
The issue of such a contest could, of course, not long remain doubtful. Not even another Saladin could lead Islam to a successful battle with Christianity. The only gainer, however, from the complete overthrow of the Turkish government would be Russia, and to this fact is attributable the unwillingness of England and the other powers to permit the breaking up of that corrupt and cruel rule, under which the Slavonic Christians have been groaning for so long. The wiser heads in the Turkish counsel no doubt comprehend this fact perfectly, and so long as any political sagacity is left in Constantinople, the religious outbreak we have referred to will not be permitted to occur. But no one can tell how soon the unruly elements involved may defy control. The end may be very near.

"GOD THE WEAVER."

The weaver at his loom is sitting, Throws his shuttle to and fro; Foot and treadle, Hand and pedal, Upward, downward, Hither, thither, How the weaver makes them go! As the weaver wills they go!
Up and down the web is plying, And across the woof is flying. What a rattling! What a battling! What a shuffling! What a scuffling! As the weaver makes his shuttle Hither, thither, scud and scuttle.
See the mystic Weaver sitting High in Heaven—his loom below; Up and down the treadles go; Takes for web the world's long ages, Takes for woof its kings and sages, Takes the nobles and their pages, Takes all stations and all stages; Thrones are bobbins in his shuttle, Armies make them scud and scuttle; Web into the woof must flow, Up and down the nations go, As the Weaver wills they go!
Calmly see the mystic Weaver Throw his shuttle to and fro; ’Mid the noise and wild confusion, Well the Weaver seems to know What each motion And commotion, What each fusion And confusion. In the grand result will show!
Glorious wonder! what a weaving! To the dull, beyond believing; Such no fabled ages know; Only faith can see the mystery How along the aisle of history, Where the feet of sages go, Loveliest to the purest eyes, Grand the mystic tapestry lies; Soft and smooth and even-spreading, As if made for angel's treading; Tufted circles, touching ever, Inwrought figures, fading never; Every figure has its pleadings, Brighter form and softer shadings, Each illumined—what a riddle!— From a cross that gems the middle.
'Tis a saying—some reject it— That its light is all reflected; That the tapestry's hues are given By a Sun that shines in heaven. 'Tis believed by all believing That Great God himself is weaving; Bringing out the world's dark mystery In the light of faith and history; And as web and woof diminish Comes the grand and glorious finish, When begin the golden ages Long foretold by seers and sages!
—Sel.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.

By A. C. Spicer

Part I.—In Genesis.

Christ said: “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Matt. 19:17. “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.” John 6:63. The inspired wise man said, “In the way of righteousness is life, and in the pathway thereof there is no death.” Prov. 12:28. The prophet says, “If the wicked walk in the statutes of life, without committing iniquity he shall surely live, he shall not die.” Eze. 33:15. The disciple said to Christ, “Lord, thou hast the words of eternal life.” John 6:68. Again, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Paul says, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” Rom. 15:2; 8:6.
Everywhere the sacred Scriptures inform us that “in the way of righteousness is life.” But righteousness is not a passive quality. It is active, and pertains to moral character. It is uprightness of religious life. And this implies conformity to moral law, as established by the Author of the religious system, in harmony with the nature and relations of the Creator and his moral subjects. Further, character, including righteousness (holiness) is not a spontaneous unfolding, but must be developed by activities, by trials, by tests. Hence law, from the very first, as much as ever, was a necessity to our first parents. It is clearly inferable, therefore, that obedience to God’s law, as his expressed will, was the condition for the continuance of that life forever, which God gave to our race.
This is deducible also, from the fact that in the restoration (and it is understood that in redemption that life which was lost, with all its concomitant blessings and characteristics, is to be restored), obedience to the commandments of God, in faith, is the condition for the attainment to everlasting life. “If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” Indeed, it is clearly seen in Genesis that obedience to some law of God—some commandments—was the condition for the continuance of life forever. Now then, is it supposable, remembering the known character of God, that those commands or that law was less than the ten holy precepts afterward formally given us by God? Indeed, is it even supposable that they were in any essential respect different from these which are based in the nature and relations of moral subjects to each other and to the Creator, and which are denominated, “holy, perfect, good,” &c.? Finally, is it supposable that the test of character in Eden (when the race was on trial, and when upon the issues of that trial hung consequences freighted with untold and inestimable value to man, extending through all time and reaching down into eternity) was less than, or different from, the whole perfect law which was to be the rule and guide of man’s life ever after, whether in obedience and consequent holiness, or in disobedience?
On this law man was tested. “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die”—“dying thou shalt die.” Death—death to the race was the penalty thereunto attached to the prohibition. But penalties are attached to established laws, and not to mere wishes or requests. And a penalty of this grave, this terrible character—death to a race with all the train of accompanying and following evils, extending through all time and down into eternity—could not have been attached to anything less than the whole perfect law of God, established and proclaimed as the constitution of God’s moral government on earth—as man’s perfect guide and rule of life.
But, “now the serpent [Satan, Rev. 12:9] was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, and he said unto the woman, Yea [is it so that God hath said?], hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die; for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.” Gen. 3:1–6. The serpent (Satan) understood that the effect of partaking of that fruit would be to “open their eyes,” and give them “a knowledge of good and evil.” Eve understood that it would “make them wise” to eat thereof. “And the Lord God said [after the disobedience], Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil.” Verse 22. “And the eyes of both of them were opened.” Verse 7.
That disobedience of Adam and Eve was punished as sin, and with death. They were expatriated—driven from the garden—and doomed to suffer and to die. Gen. 2 and 3. And this penalty attached universally to the race. Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21, 22. But universal penalty implies universal law. And a penalty that comprehended universal and eternal death could have been attached only to a law of equal magnitude, comprehending universal and eternal life. As the penalty comprehended the loss of all that was valuable to the race—even eternal life—the law to which it was attached, as such enforcing penalty, must have comprehended all that was valuable to the race, and hence must have been the whole perfect moral law.
This conclusion appears reinforced by reference to the following: “Sin is the transgression of the law,” 1 John 3:4; while “The wages of sin is death,” Rom. 6:23; “But sin is not imputed where there is no law.” Rom. 5:13. There must, then, have been a law promulgated, or there could have been no sin; and there must have been a knowledge of that law, or there could, in justice and reason, have been no responsibility therefor; for “by the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3:20. And surely they evinced a knowledge of sin at once, which they obtained by their disobedience, for they were afraid and “hid themselves.” Adam and Eve knew good, before; now, they knew evil, sin and its consequences. Thus were “their eyes opened.” In this law and these events were the environment of interest to all the race to all eternity.
Now, no mere wish, or request, no mere prudential domestic regulation in respect to any individual or special thing or event, could have been thus universal and comprehensive; for a special can never be universal. Nothing but that which provides for all the high and holy interests of the race, which prescribes all duties and obligations, and prescribes all disobedience—all wrong and all sin—could have been commensurate to the need in that great emergency.
Here, then, we ask, What other law than the ten commandments was ever designed to be thus universal? What other law was ever thus comprehensive—including all duties, all responsibilities, and all interests? No special precept, however valuable in its specific application, could ever have comprehended such universal consequences. But the ten commandments are thus universal and all-comprehensive. These were the universal, natural, all-comprehending moral precepts designed for man under all conditions of being in all time.
These are the only system of laws ever given to man of which it could be said, They are “perfect.” No others of this character were ever given to man, or known. And we ask, What others are possible? The Israelitish statute, or national law, and the Mosaic ritual or ceremonial laws, “added” to the moral law of ten commandments, “because of transgression until the promised seed should come,” were not of this character, however valuable they were. They were special, local, limited, secondary, and based on the ten universal precepts, as primary.
In all sincerity, it is asked, Does not the record clearly prove that the moral law of ten commandments was given to Adam and known by him in Eden before his sin? Paul said, “I had not known sin but by the law.” Rom. 7:7. Indeed, how clearly Paul teaches us in Rom. 7 that it was the law, transgressed, which “opened his eyes,” “made him wise” (in respect to sin), and gave him a knowledge of good and evil,” and finally, “slew him!”
Repeating a few thoughts, we conclude. Adam “was permitted to do everything that was right and conducive to his well-being and in accord with his Father’s pleasure; and in the doing of any and every good thing he was innocent; and in obedience to everything permitted, he was to receive his Father’s blessing and receive immortality, eternal life,” as the reward of obedience and virtue. He was forbidden to partake of—even to touch—evil, wrong, anything which would vitiate, harm the morals, mar the character, or make impure, anything which should in the least degree depreciate the highest spiritual worthiness and dignity of his being; he was enjoined to keep the commandments of God, to violate which would truly “open his eyes” to sin and its train of consequences; would, indeed, make him experimentally wise to a sad degree in respect to evil; would, verily, make him “as one of us,” “as gods,” in respect to a “knowledge of good and evil;” while as a reward for obedience he was to have life, with all its joys and blessings, continued forever; but as a penalty for disobedience, he was to die. In the record given us, the penalty—thou shalt surely die—is very brief; but it is very clear that far more than simply physical death was implied, and doubtless fully taught, as appears from the sentence pronounced after transgression.
Here, may it not be safely inferred from the known character of God, that he would not have permitted that very rigid test of character of our first parents which was laden with such terribly sad, far-reaching, and painful consequences to all posterity down to all eternity, except that they had been fully taught and had been fully informed in all the will and law of God, of which it is said, “It is perfect, holy, just, and good,” and thus have been as fully informed, strengthened, and armed to resist, as was possible?
It is concluded, hence, that the whole law of God—the ten commandments—in principle, and substantially as afterward rehearsed from Mt. Sinai, was promulgated by God, and carefully taught in Eden to Adam and Eve.
The fact, then, appears beyond all question that the law of God, substantially, as afterwards “engraven by the finger of God” on the tablets of stone, was taught in Eden, was understood by Adam and Eve, as subsequently by Abel, Enoch, Noah, and the God-loving patriarchs all along through the ages down to the enunciation of the law from Mt. Sinai which words were but a repetition (apparently for more emphatic enforcement and better instruction and for more permanent preservation) of what had before been taught and known, during the entire history of the race.
The conclusion is inevitable that the law of God was there and then, in Eden, taught and made known, applied, and enjoined to regulate the conduct of the parents of the race in that specific case, and that that was their great trial subject to that law, as the universal, perfect constitution of God’s moral government on earth.
If this be a fact, it is one of great importance; and if the fact can be established beyond successful contradiction, its bearing upon questions of present controversy in respect to the unchangeable perpetuity of the commandments of God—including the fourth—must be very important.
A. C. SPICER.

OVERCOMING

By G. V. Kilgore

Jesus says, “Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” He says to his followers, “In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” Our Lord has trodden this narrow way before us, and is acquainted with it. He knows there are many trials in it; there are tribulations to pass through; there are conflicts to meet, and victories to gain, if we would win eternal life. But he has not left us to pass through these dark places without help. He first plainly tells us the way is narrow. He warns us to expect tribulation, and then he encourages us to be of good cheer; for he has overcome the world. He was tempted on all points as we are tempted, yet he conquered every besetment, and is therefore fully able to succor them that are tempted.
Great rewards are promised by him to the overcomer. “To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.” “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” “He that overcometh shall inherit all things.” To overcome is to conquer foes, to surmount difficulties. But what are we to overcome, in order to receive these great rewards? We must overcome all things that hinder us from walking in the footsteps of our Leader. We must overcome, even as he overcame; that is, our victory must be a perfect one. All that sit on Christ’s throne will be as pure as though they never had sinned. They will have been washed in the blood of the Lamb, who endured temptations, but never sinned.
Christ overcame the world; and he calls upon us to follow him. It is the world, then, that we are to overcome. 1 John 5: 4, 5. We must conquer the world! Alexander the Great conquered the world in one sense. With weapons of carnal warfare he subdued the nations of the earth. But the war in which Christians are engaged is not like that. “For the weaponsof our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.”
Although Alexander conquered the world and was called great, the world, in fact, conquered him and caused his death. “All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” These very things overcame the Grecian king, and put an end to his existence. These are the things that caused our parents to sin in Eden. Christ stood severe trials on the same points (Luke 4), and bore off victory every time. He calls upon us to follow him. He has promised us help. Will we stand the vexations that come in our way?
The little trials we have now are nothing to what his soldiers in the past have stood. Think of Paul’s persecutions and afflictions at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra. He was a brave soldier of the cross. Professors to-day feel hurt when men speak evil of them. They sometimes complain when they are not esteemed as highly as somebody else. But the great apostle Paul could afford to be expelled from Antioch by the chief men of the city, after hearing the Jews contradict and blaspheme. From Antioch he went to Iconium, where an assault was made, and they attempted to use him despitefully and to stone him. Escaping from there, he went to Lystra; and while he was preaching the gospel, healing the sick, and awakening a deep interest, certain Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, “who persuaded the people, and, having stoned Paul, drew him out of the city, supposing he had been dead.” But he survived this abuse and went on preaching the same unpopular doctrine. He exhorted the disciples to continue in the faith, telling them that “we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.”
Paul endured all this, not merely to gain for himself an eternal inheritance, but, as he himself expressed it, “for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
Oh! if this follower of Christ could stand firm for God through all his trials, should we not stand our light afflictions? Truly could the apostle say at his death, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” Paul overcame what we must all overcome—the lusts of the flesh and the pride of life. 1 Cor. 9: 27. He died in full hope of a crown of righteousness at Christ’s appearing. 2 Tim. 4: 6–8. And all those who love the appearing of Jesus will also receive crowns of glory at that day. All overcomers will realize the promises that Christ has made. They will eat of the “tree of life.” They will sit with him in his throne; and they will “inherit all things.” Glorious promises! Rich rewards!
Dear reader, do you want to enter the city of God, those mansions that are brighter than the light of seven noonday suns? Follow Christ. Do you want to eat the fruit of the tree of life, and drink of the waters that flow from the throne of the Eternal One? Overcome. If you want to reign on high amid the joys of Heaven for a thousand years, and then descend to the eternal inheritance with all the shining hosts of angels and redeemed men in the New Jerusalem; and if you want to live on this earth when it is made new, now is the time to get ready—overcome.
G. V. KILGORE.
Sidney, Iowa, July 21, 1876.

DUTY

By Jos. Clarke

JONAH was commanded to warn Nineveh of approaching ruin. It was a positive, unconditional command, and it was his duty to comply with this command without questioning or delay; but the cautious prophet saw difficulties in the way, and they seemed like mountains to him. What if the people should repent, and the judgments be stayed or withheld? Where would his reputation be? and what would people think of him? for Jonah was a man of his word, and could not bear reproach. But the event proved that Jonah would have done a far nobler act had he promptly obeyed the word of the Lord, without questioning or delay. Then no great miracle would have been needed to drive the timorous prophet to his work.
Jonah’s history is a fit warning against unbelief and contempt for God’s word in these last days. A world must be warned of approaching ruin, yet the Jonahs of this time are quite as apt at making excuses, and at raising objections, as was the prophet of whom we have been remarking in this brief article. The work of warning the present generation is now being done. It differs from the errand of Jonah in this, that here is no condition of delay. The time is short; the end must certainly come; and some will be warned.
Means are called for, talent is demanded, time and labor must be given. Shall we, like Jonah, hesitate till the last moment, and then await the result in despondency and gloom? No, let us be doing our work with cheerfulness and hope, and soon the reward will come. Jos. Clarke.

THIS IS NOT YOUR REST.

By A. M. Lindsley

“Arise ye, and depart; for this is not your rest; because it is polluted,” was the word of exhortation by the mouth of the prophet Micah. As we contemplate the meaning of these words, the mind is carried back to the beginning, when all things were created and were called very good; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy; when Adam and Eve, in perfect innocence, stood in the garden of Eden, and the world was spread out before them, a place of beauty and of enjoyment. This was their possession, and might have been their home through endless ages; for the earth was created for their inheritance. All that could have conduced to their happiness would have been theirs. But ah! then came their temptation and fall, by disobedience, and all at once the scene was changed. The earth was cursed for their sake, and man has since had no resting-place. Broken-hearted, they left the pleasant home that God had prepared for them; they were driven out of the garden, lest they should be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life also, and sin should be perpetuated by their becoming immortal in this fallen condition. Ever since that memorable day, man has been a wanderer on the face of the earth, with no certain dwelling-place; for after a few years of sorrow and toil he must lie down in darkness and return to dust. And had it not been that God in his mercy suffered his only Son, Jesus, to step in, and by his own death in their stead purchase, not only the redemption of the fallen race, but their first inheritance, the earth, which he has promised to redeem from the curse, and give to them as their final resting-place, hope would have died out, and happiness would have become forever extinct.
The earth became polluted under the sins of its inhabitants, Isa. 24: 5, and has so continued, and it has grown worse in its fallen condition, till the whole creation groaneth and travaileth for its new birth, when its redemption from the curse shall finally have been accomplished, and nature shall again don her Eden robes of beauty and loveliness. This was what the prophet had in view when he gave expression to the words, “Arise ye, and depart.” To be sure, the people of ancient Israel were promised the land of Canaan as their inheritance, and after a long time of wandering in the wilderness they came to it, and possessed it, or sojourned in it, for a long time; but it was only typical of the future possession of the earth made new. There was no real rest there; for they carried with them their sinful natures, so that they were called a stiff-necked and rebellious people. All the way through from Eden to the present, we have seen the truthfulness of the expression, “God has not been able to make anything very great or very good of man.” It is only as we become partakers of the divine nature through faith in the world's Redeemer, and the promised aid of the Holy Spirit, that we can ever rise above the works of the flesh, and put on the garments of righteousness and salvation. This we are exhorted to do: “Arise ye, and depart.”
As we come down to the time when the redemption of the purchased possession is about to be realized, this exhortation gathers meaning and intensity. Even our temporary foothold upon terra firma is shaken by the judgments of God that are abroad in the earth, and by the signs that betoken the dissolution of all things pertaining to the present order of nature. Could our eyes be opened to see everything in the light of prophecy and inspiration, how should we feel the necessity of taking hold of the way of life and departing from all evil, that we might be able to lay up treasures in Heaven!
Brethren and sisters, our work lies before us, to make clean records for the Judgment; for the time is at hand. The land is polluted and defiled under the inhabitants thereof. A highway is being cast up; the stones are being gathered out; yea, the standard is lifted up. Who will “arise,” enlist, and fight under the blood-stained banner of the Lord, till victory is gained, and the rest is realized that remains for the people of God?
A. M. LINDSLEY.
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