Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · May 24, 1883
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
Unity of the Church.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
As ALL the different members of the human system unite to form the entire body, and each performs its office in obedience to the intelligence that governs the whole, so the members of the church of Christ should be united in one symmetrical body, subject to the sanctified intelligence of the whole.
The advancement of our church is retarded by the wrong course of its members. Uniting with the church, although an important and necessary act, does not make one a Christian or ensure salvation. We cannot secure a title to Heaven by having our names enrolled upon the church books, while our hearts are alienated from Christ. We should be his faithful representatives on earth, working in unison with him. "Beloved, now are we the sons of God." We should keep in mind this holy relationship and do nothing to bring dishonor upon our Father's cause.
Our profession is an exalted one. As Sabbath-keeping Adventists, we profess to obey all God's commandments, and are looking for the coming of our Redeemer. A most solemn message of warning has been intrusted to God's faithful few. We should show by our words and works that we recognize the great responsibility laid upon us. Our light should shine so clearly that others can see that we glorify the Father in our daily lives; that we are connected with Heaven and are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ; that when he shall appear in power and great glory, we shall be like him.
We should every one feel our individual responsibility as members of the visible church, and workers in the vineyard of the Lord. We should not wait for our brethren, who are frail as ourselves, to help us along, for our precious Saviour has invited us to join ourselves to him, and unite our weakness with his strength, our ignorance to his wisdom, our unworthiness to his merits.
None of us can occupy a neutral position, our influence will tell for or against. We are active agents for Christ or for the enemy. We either gather with Jesus or scatter abroad. True conversion is a radical change. The very drift of the mind and bent of the heart should be turned, and life become new again in Christ.
God is leading out a people to stand in perfect unity upon the platform of eternal truth. Christ gave himself to the world "that he might purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." This refining process is designed to purge the church from all unrighteousness and the spirit of discord and contention; that they may build up instead of tear down, and concentrate their energies on the great work before them. God designs that his people should all come into the unity of faith. The prayer of Christ to his Father, just prior to his crucifixion, was that his disciples might be one, even as he was one with the Father, that the world might believe that he had sent him. This most touching and wonderful prayer reaches down the ages, even to our day, for his words were "Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word."
How earnestly should the professed followers of Christ seek to answer this prayer in their lives. Many do not realize the sacredness of their church relations, and are loth to submit to restraint and discipline. Their course of action shows that they exalt their own judgment above that of the united church; and they are not careful to guard themselves lest they encourage a spirit of opposition to its voice.
Those who hold responsible positions in the church may have their faults in common with other people, and may err in their decisions; but notwithstanding this, the church of Christ on earth has given to them an authority that cannot be lightly esteemed. Christ, after his resurrection, delegated power unto his church, saying, "Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained."
A relation to the church is not to be easily canceled; yet some professed followers of Christ will threaten to leave the church when their path is crossed, or their voice has not the controlling influence which they think it deserves. True, in leaving the church, they would be the greatest sufferers themselves, for in withdrawing beyond the pale of its influence, they subject themselves to the full temptations of the world.
Every believer should be whole-hearted in his attachment to the church. Its prosperity should be his first interest, and unless he feels under sacred obligations to make his connection with the church a benefit to it, in preference to himself, it can do far better without him. It is in the power of all to do something for the cause of God. There are those who spend a large amount for needless luxuries, and to gratify their appetites, but feel it a great tax to contribute means to sustain the church. They are willing to receive all the benefits of its privileges, but prefer to leave others to pay the bills. Those who really feel a deep interest in the advancement of the cause, will not hesitate to invest money in the enterprise whenever and wherever it is needed.
They should also feel it a solemn duty to illustrate in their characters the teachings of Christ, being at peace one with another and moving in perfect harmony as an undivided whole. They should defer their individual judgment to the judgment of the body of the church. Many are living for themselves alone. They look upon their lives with great complacency, flattering themselves that they are blameless, when in fact they are doing nothing for God, and are living in direct opposition to his expressed word. The observance of external forms will never meet the great want of the human soul. A profession of Christ is not enough to stand the test of the day of Judgment. There should be a perfect trust in God, a childlike dependence upon his promises, and an utter consecration of self to his will.
God has always tried his people in the furnace of affliction, in order to prove them firm and true, and purge them from all unrighteousness. After Abraham and his son had borne the severest test that could be imposed upon them, God spoke through his angel unto Abraham, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." This great act of faith causes the character of Abraham to shine forth with remarkable luster. It forcibly illustrates his perfect confidence in the Lord, from whom he withheld nothing, not even his son of promise.
There is nothing too precious for us to give to Jesus. If we return to him the talents of means he has intrusted to our keeping, he will give more into our hands. Every effort we make for Christ will be rewarded by him; and every duty we perform in his name will minister to our own happiness. God surrendered his dearly-beloved Son to the agonies of the crucifixion, that all who believe on him should become one through the name of Jesus. When Christ made so great a sacrifice to save men and bring them into unity one with another, even as he was united with the Father, what sacrifice is too great for his followers to make, in order to preserve that unity?
If the world sees a perfect harmony existing in the church of God, it will be a powerful evidence to them in favor of the Christian religion. Dissensions, unhappy differences, and petty church-trials dishonor our Redeemer. All these may be avoided if self is surrendered to God, and the followers of Jesus obey the voice of the church. Unbelief suggests that individual independence increases our importance, that it is weak to yield our own ideas of what is right and proper, to the verdict of the church. But to yield to such feelings and views is unsafe, and will bring us to anarchy and confusion. Christ saw that unity and Christian fellowship were necessary to the cause of God, therefore he enjoins it upon his disciples. And the history of Christianity from that time until now proves conclusively that in union only there is strength. Let individual judgment submit to the authority of the church.
The apostles felt the necessity of strict unity, and they labored earnestly to this end. Paul exhorted his brethren in these words:—
"Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."
He also writes to his Philippians brethren, "If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus."
To the Romans he writes, "Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus, that ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive ye one another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of God."
"Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits."
Peter wrote to the churches scattered abroad, "Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another; love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous: not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing; but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing."
And Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians says: "Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you."
CROSS WEARING.
By Horatius Bonar
I AM crucified with Christ—
With him nailed upon the tree;
Not the cross, then do I bear,
But the cross it beareth me.
Solemn cross on which I died,
One with him, the Crucified.
Shall I take that blood-stained cross,
Cross of agony and shame,
Cross of him who fought my fight,
Cross of him who overcame?
Shall I deck myself with thee,
Awful cross of Calvary?
Shall I drag thee through the crowd,
'Mid the laughter that is there;
Whirl thee through the giddy waltz,
Bound upon my neck or hair?
Awful cross of Calvary,
Shall I deck myself with thee?
Shall I make that lowly cross
Minister of woman's pride,
Drawing eyes to me that should
Fix upon the Crucified?
Awful cross of Calvary,
Shall I deck myself with thee?
Shall I call this glittering gem,
Made for show and vanity—
Shall I call this gaud a cross,
Cross of him who died for me?
Shall I deck myself with thee,
Awful cross of Calvary?
—Horatius Bonar.
How to Understand Bible Language.
It is contrary to all the well established and universally accepted rules of interpretation, to put an uncommon meaning into the words of any writer, unless we are especially authorized by him to do so, or unless the character of the document itself shall warrant it.
The Bible was not written especially for philosophers, or metaphysicians, or poets, but for men of all classes and conditions in life. Hence we find something in it that is particularly adapted to all these several classes. We have poetry, prophecy, parables, proverbs, in which we should expect to find figures of speech and a tropical and fanciful use of words, as we do in other writings of the same sort. But by far the larger part of the word of God is in plain, sober prose. It was written for the instruction of the people generally, and ought to be understood without the aid of philosophers and metaphysicians to explain it, and would be understood far better than it now is, were it not for the metaphysical, scholastic and traditional interpretations which the schoolmen of the middle ages, and the commentators and creed-makers of the present age, following in their lead, have contrived to put upon its meaning.
But this is an old device for "making the word of God of none effect." It was very common among the Hebrews. Christ denounced it in his day. Of this Jehovah speaks, when he inquires of Job, "Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge?" Indeed, we trace it back to the garden in Eden, and see the great adversary of God and man, in the very beginning, construing the threatening of death, which God had declared to be the penalty of sin, to mean, "Ye shall not surely die; ye shall be as gods, who are immortal." And could our Platonic Christian brethren have been present at that interview, they must have said "AMEN" to the declaration of the tempter, "that is just what we believe. Man is an immortal being. He cannot actually die. The death which his Creator threatens cannot mean actual death. It must mean 'an unchanging, eternal state of wretchedness and misery,' or something else, or anything but death."
Now it was against this very traditional doctrine that Paul warns the early Christians, when he says: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Col. 2:8. Referring especially to this act of the adversary, he says: "I fear lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 2 Cor. 11:3.
The word of God ought certainly to receive the same honest treatment which we accord to the writings of men. When we read fiction or poetry, we may indulge our fancy. The author invites us to do so. But when we read a volume of history, or a legal document, we are bound to construe the language in its literal sense. So should it be when we read the Bible. Who would think of giving a fanciful construction to the Constitution of the United States, or to the laws of the country? When the law specifies "death," as the penalty for capital crimes, no one understands this to be a figurative expression for some other mode of punishment. "When the judge solemnly sentences the criminal 'to be hung by the neck till he is dead, dead, dead,' the culprit does not understand him to mean perpetual and life-long imprisonment with torture. But when we read the constitution of God's government over us, and the laws which he has instituted and declared in the most solemn manner, we are taught to construe his words just in this fanciful way, and to understand the penalty of death which he threatens as meaning, not death at all, but simply "the destruction of the sinner's well-being," "a forlorn and miserable existence endlessly perpetuated!"
On this point Locke says: "By death some men understand endless torments in hell-fire. But it seems a strange way of understanding a law which requires the plainest and directest word, that by death should be meant eternal life in misery. Can any one be supposed to intend by a law that says, 'For felony thou shalt surely die,' not that he should lose his life, but be kept alive in exquisite and perpetual torments? And would any one think himself fairly dealt with who was so used?"
And when we read the precious promises of our Lord to his people about life—a life of purity, blessedness, and glory in his everlasting kingdom—a life that shall never end—we are taught to understand something quite different from what he promises. Indeed, he does not mean life at all, but simply a pure and blessed condition of life, that shall endure forever. As for life itself, his people are not indebted to him for it. It is their own inalienable inheritance from Adam. Christ did not die to save us from the power of death, but only from a state of sin and misery, into which we are all born, and which we must endure forever, unless we are rescued; and from the further suffering due to our own sins, to which there can be no end unless he saves us.
So many believe and talk. And this would be a great salvation indeed; but the salvation which Christ offers in the gospel is a greater salvation than this; for the penalty of sin is a greater, deadlier penalty than suffering. It is DEATH. "Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death." The pains and sorrows and miseries that follow in the train of sin, are but the inevitable results and accompaniments of sin. But they are not the death that is threatened. They are but the preludes and shadows and concomitants of that death to which they point, and to which sin inevitably leads.
It is from this death that Christ saves his people. The purity and blessedness and joys of that life which he gives them are not the life itself—they are but the accompaniments of that life, the necessary accompaniments—for it is his own peculiar life that he gives them, which is pure and blessed and immortal. No other life can be perpetual but one that is in perfect harmony with the divine life.
It was by this insidious device, that the great adversary of God and man succeeded at the first in compassing the ruin of man. He taught him to believe that the original threatening of death—"dying, thou shalt die"—ought to be interpreted as meaning, "ye shall be as gods and live forever." And now again he would teach his willing listeners, by the same process of interpretation, to rob the Almighty Saviour of the crown of glory which he claims, and which is his due as the Redeemer and Life-giver of his ransomed people, that man may put it on his own head, and wear it as an immortal god in Heaven or hell forever!
These two words—Life and Death—are not merely the crucial words in this controversy, but they are the principal words by which the sanctions of the divine law are made known to us.
They are used more than any others to mark the grand distinction between the righteous and the wicked. There are but two classes of men spoken of in the Scriptures. They are designated by a great variety of titles, as, the righteous and the wicked; the children of God and the children of this world, or of the devil; natural men and spiritual men; the elect and the reprobate; the saved and the unsaved, etc., but the specific reward that is promised to the one class is, Life, Life, Life forevermore, Life without end; and the specific doom of the other class is, Death, Death, Death. These are the principal words employed everywhere throughout the sacred volume, from Genesis to Revelation, to designate the lot, or portion, or end of these two classes respectively. The word signifying "to die," or "death," is used at least one thousand times by the various writers of the inspired volume; and the word signifying "to live," or "life," is used nearly as many more.
Of course, it is not pretended that these words are employed in an absolutely literal sense at all times, and in all places where they occur. Every variety of style is to be found in this Book of many books. Some parts of it are entirely figurative, and metaphors of various sorts abound in many other parts. Perhaps there is no common word which may not be tropically used, by some one of these many writers. But it does not follow, because instances of a figurative use of the words "life" and "death" may be found here and there, that a figurative sense should be given to them all in other places, or in any other place where the reader may choose to put such a construction upon them, to suit his fancy, or to sustain his own peculiar doctrine. It does not follow, because figures of speech are employed in the poetry and prophecies and parables of the word of God, that its plain, sober prose, its didactic instructions, its judicial utterances, its gospel promises, are to be treated as tropes and metaphors, and the plain, ordinary meaning is to be taken out of them and another put in, to suit the minds of speculating theologians.
If there is any book that demands of us an honest, reverent treatment, it is the word of God. We should come to its reading saying, in the simplicity of our hearts, "I will hear what the Lord will speak;" and not, as too many do, with the deliberate purpose of reading into its language what we have determined beforehand to believe.
If this principle of interpreting the word of God figuratively, of finding a double meaning, or an uncommon meaning in the plain terms it uses, according to the pleasure of the reader, be allowed, anything or rather nothing can be proved by Scripture; we are all afloat in our theology, with no one truth to which we can anchor ourselves. Indeed, this practice has already wrought incalculable mischief in the church and out of it. It is one of the chief causes of the error and confusion that now prevail throughout Christendom, as regards theological questions in general, and especially in regard to this question of the destiny of man. The church of Christ, which was designed to be "the pillar and ground of the truth," and those who are set for the instruction of others in the things of the kingdom, will never be able to agree among themselves, or to know what the truth of God is on this question, until they shall consent to lay aside all their human philosophies and traditional dogmas, and come, as children, to the reading of the Scriptures, desiring only to know what the great Master himself would teach them. Then they will be able to make the great discovery, which will scatter all the fogs and mists that men have been gathering about this question for ages, and let in a flood of light upon the whole gospel system—a discovery of the truth that has always lain upon the very surface of the word, but which they could not, or would not see, because they were looking for something else—that "the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."—From Prof. J. H. Pettingell's Life Everlasting.
The Three-Fold Mission of Christ.
By J. E. Downey
The true disciple is one with Christ. In that memorable prayer contained in the 17th chapter of John he prays "that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one."
In this mysterious union Christ has so completely made the redeemed culprit a part of himself that as a matter of absolute right the culprit may plead this unity, so that in Christ, of whom he has become a part, he pays the penalty of his sin. Let no one think that this is a forced argument. There is no union in the natural world that is so perfect and complete in itself as this oneness with Christ, so that while in one place the apostle Paul calls himself the chief of sinners we find him in his letter to the Galatians exclaiming, "I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." And again he says, "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." If we then have become a part of Christ is not absolute justice fully satisfied when he stands as our substitution?231
Now we must not get a wrong idea of God the Father, because it was necessary that Christ should die in order to maintain the majesty of the law. Christ did not die to appease the wrath of an angry father. I take it that the Father loved us just as much before Christ died as he did afterwards. I have no sympathy with the doctrine that Christ died to reconcile God to us. We are everywhere told that he died to reconcile us to God. God's love was infinite. "He so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him might not perish, but have everlasting life." What wonderful love that he should give this priceless gift that we might have life! Christ died not to appease God's wrath; but that God might be just, and yet the justifier of the sinner. There was no other way whereby he could be saved. Hence it is that if one rejects Christ there is no possible way left for him but to pay the penalty of his own sin. The law is, "The soul that sinneth it shall die." If therefore we are unwilling to accept Christ's substitution nothing but eternal death is left for us. There is no way left by which God can save us without bringing contempt upon his law, which is a thing impossible even with God. This is such a vital point in Christian doctrine that I wish if possible to fix it indelibly in the mind of every one. The judge upon the bench who would abate any part of the penalty of the law because his son might be the culprit would deserve impeachment. How then could God have forgiven sin if Christ had not died?
Christ's expiation in the garden was in the presence of angels and devils. All were beholding the wonderful redemption so that the universe could ever afterwards adjudge God just when, for Christ's sake, he would pardon sin.
Now if God's law is so great that his only begotten Son chose to bear the full penalty rather than that it should be violated with impunity, should we not tremble at the thought of violating such a law, and must not all the intelligences of Heaven, realizing the majesty of such a law, bow with greater reverence before it on account of the sacrifice that was made to fulfill it?
The second object was to teach us the law more fully. He was the great Teacher sent from God. Nicodemus was made to fully realize this when he came to our Lord by night. The sermon in the mount with all his other teachings embody an absolutely perfect code of ethics. They are the bed-rock of all spiritual truth. The man that builds his character upon these shall build a temple that shall never fall, because it is founded upon a rock. The storms of adversity and of temptation may beat about him in all their fury, but his house should never fall if he heareth and doeth the sayings of the Master.
The third mission of Christ was to be our example. He not only taught us the truth in his wonderful precepts, but by his life of sacrifice and patient endurance of suffering he showed us by example that it was possible to live the doctrines which he taught. There was no self-denial which he shrunk from. Coming to the world in a manger he placed himself beneath the lowest of humanity that he might lift up all. There is no one so poor but that he can feel that Christ knows by experience how to sympathize with him. No one is so friendless but that he may feel that Christ as he bore his cross alone to Calvary was even more friendless.
We find therefore embodied in his life this triune mission: 1. The sacrificial atonement, without which there could be no salvation unless God could sacrifice justice, which is impossible. Otherwise he would cease to be a just God. 2. That of the lonely Galilean teacher. 3. That of our great example. And so perfectly has he fulfilled these three missions that he stands out in history as the one over-shadowing character of all the world. The infidel world have come to acknowledge him in his character of teacher and examplar. But in his first and greatest mission they find in him but a rock of offense.—J. E. Downey, in Golden Censer.
The German Emperor’s Diary
The German Emperor's diary must certainly be one of the great historical treasures of the age. For nearly fifty years Emperor William has carefully noted down with his own hand the chief events of each day—such as interviews, conversations, decisions, political intelligence, and domestic occurrences. Every morning a fresh sheet of folio size is laid upon the Emperor's desk, headed with the date and a sacred text, and the diary already forms several volumes, which are to pass into the Crown Prince's hands. The diary is illustrated by loose sheets, bearing water color pictures of the chief occurrences of the Emperor's life. These are executed by eminent German artists, from original outlines furnished by the Emperor himself.—Selected.
Anger as Evidence of Error
By Editor
The National Baptist has a correspondent under the nom de plume of "Dr. Philetus Dobbs," who writes some excellent things. From an answer to the question how to find out who is right or wrong in any discussion, we take the following, which we commend to the perusal of all. There are certain religious journals that sometimes discuss the Sabbath question, that can, we think, find their picture faithfully delineated here:—
"When a man gets mad in a discussion, it is so far forth prima facie evidence that he is in the wrong. I do not think that we ought to lay it up against him; it is really a very trying position; when a man has sailed in with flying colors, expecting to knock everybody down, and to have the field all to himself, and then finds that he is on the wrong side, and that he really has not a leg to stand upon, and that everybody whose opinion is worth having is on the other side. No wonder that he gets mad, and tears his hair (or the place where the hair once was), and wants to tear somebody else's. 'Tis nature (though, perhaps, not grace). But I am not speaking of the moral quality; I am speaking of the state of mind as an indication of who is in the wrong.
"When you see, then, a man in a debate on some point, say of doctrine, begin to foam at the mouth, and to break things, and to sling around names, and to apply adjectives such as 'flippant,' 'idiotic,' 'ignorant,' to persons who may, by a moderate stretch of charity, be regarded as equal to himself, you will risk nothing in saying: 'That man is in the wrong.'"
Why We Don't Stop.
By Editor
THERE are some who wonder why the SIGNS OF THE TIMES should devote so much space to the Sabbath question, and to teaching the doctrine of the soon coming of Christ. It is all well enough to speak of these things occasionally, in a general way, but why keep writing about them continually. Many seem considerably troubled over the matter, and no doubt wish we would stop. Indeed, some have threatened that if we did not stop they would "expose the whole thing." We don't wonder that they are annoyed, but we cannot stop on that account. It is our design not only to annoy people, but to make them tremble. See Joel 2:1. We say we cannot stop, and the reason why will perhaps be better appreciated by our readers after reading the following story, which, though old, is good:—
A Scotch clergyman once preached the same sermon on repentance three consecutive Sundays. A good elder came to him to remonstrate against this breach of custom. "Dominie, the people have heard that sermon once before," he began, mildly. "Ah! have they?" responded the preacher, as he looked over his glasses into space.
"Yes, they have heard it twice before," ventured the elder, this time rather doggedly. "Indeed!" said the preacher, with a smile that was full of meaning. "Well, Dominie, to tell the truth, you have preached that sermon three times, and the people are pretty well tired out."
The minister rose from his chair, showing his six feet and two inches of longitude to advantage, and inquired: "Elder, that sermon was on the subject of repentance, was it not? Now, tell me, have the people repented, as I told them to?"
The abashed official, stammered: "Well, no, Dominie, I don't think they have." "Then," thundered the minister, "go you and tell them that I propose to continue to preach that sermon until they do repent."
Who Denied Him?
"But ye denied the Holy One and the just." Who is it speaking these words in Acts 3:14? It is Peter—that same Peter who denied Jesus thrice in an hour. Well may we imagine these proud Pharisees whom he is now addressing, throwing back the taunt: "No, Peter, we never denied him; we never professed to love or to follow him, but you, you, Peter, denied him. It was you—one of his best friends—; you who said you were willing to die for him, and would never deny him though all others did." Ah, how the words would have stung Peter's loving, impulsive heart even to the core. "Yes," says Peter, "I did; I did deny my blessed Lord. I did pierce afresh his bleeding side. He was wounded in the house of his friends. Yes, I was a poor, lost, undone, guilty sinner; but Jesus looked on me with that loving face so full of sorrow; and with that look came the memory of my sins, and I wept to think how cruel, how ungrateful I had been, and I asked the dear Master to forgive me, and I was restored to fellowship and communion with him, and now I trust not in Peter for sustaining grace, but I trust in Him who said to me, 'When thou art converted (turned from self to me), strengthen thy brethren;' and it is through him that I have done this miracle, and not by any holiness in myself."
Ah, dear Christian readers, let us beware lest we too, like Peter, give unbelievers occasion, by our unfaithfulness, to blaspheme the name of the Lord. Let us ever remember that forgiveness only heals the wound, but the scar still remains. True, we are complete in Jesus when accepted by him, but these backslidings, these denials, will do us lasting harm. They hurt our influence with the unsaved, and they at once say to us, "Physician, heal thyself". Let us look well to it how we walk. Let us ever bear in mind that the fire will try our works, and whatever we have done that has any of self in it at all, shall be burned up.—Mrs. E. Risdon, in Gospel Banner.
The Gospel Plan of Character Transformation
"MEN have tried various plans for the transformation of character; but the gospel plan has the advantage of them all. Human expedients propose a change of circumstances; but the gospel proposes a change of heart."
Which is the Better Evidence?
By W. N. Glenn
BY W. N. GLENN.
THE latest, and, as is supposed, the clinching, evidence in favor of the immortal soul-doctrine, is the testimony of Mrs. Mary Livermore, of Massachusetts, as given in a lecture in Boston on "Immortality." And this is the point now being emphasized in a circulating item:—
"In all her experience with dying men, while she was in the service of the Sanitary Commission through the war, not once did one man say or hint that he was believing he was passing out of existence."—Morning Star.
Mrs. Livermore is said to be "probably the most able and eloquent speaker of her sex in the world;" so of course her testimony, backed by the fact that dying soldiers did not express certain sentiments, is evidence sufficient for that class who pin their faith to eloquence and popularity. But as nearly all the Protestant world is now studying the "Acts of the Apostles" in the Sabbath and Sunday-school lessons, it would be well to refer to Peter's testimony on the day of Pentecost. Peter spoke under the influence of the grandest demonstration of the Holy Spirit of which we have any record, and withal was no doubt very eloquent.
Referring to the patriarch David, Peter says, Acts 2:29, that "he is both dead and buried, and his sepulcher is with us to this day;" and this assertion is given as proof that David referred to Christ, and not to himself, when he prophesied: "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell (hades—grave), nor suffer thy Holy One to see corruption." Ps. 16:10. Although David was a prophet, and rested upon the promises of God, Peter testified by the Spirit that he "is not ascended into the heavens." Acts 2:34.
As the Holy Spirit has told us that David was a prophet, let us hear his testimony as to the state of the dead: "His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth, in that very day his thoughts perish." Ps. 146:4.
Is it any wonder that theology grows loose, and Christianity degenerates to a "form of godliness," in these last days, when the imaginations of man's wisdom and the eloquence of the popular lecturer is made the basis of doctrine, in direct variance with the express utterances of the Holy Spirit? Which is the better foundation of belief, the inspired words of prophets and apostles, or imaginary inferences from what dying soldiers may not have said or hinted? Surely we see to-day the fulfillment of Paul's prophecy, as recorded in 2 Timothy 4:34: "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables."