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Signs of the Times, Vol. 2, No. 21.

The Signs of the Times

Signs of the Times

May 4, 1876

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · May 4, 1876

The Signs of the Times.

“Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22: 12.

A Message from the True Witness to the Remnant.

By John Matteson

BY ELD. JOHN MATTESON.
(Concluded.)
GOLD, purified by fire, is the same as very fine gold. The gold of Heaven is very pure, clear as crystal. The heavenly Jerusalem pertains to the saints' inheritance. “And the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass.” “And the street of the city was pure gold.” Rev. 21. The elders (representing the people of God), surrounding the throne of God in Heaven, had on their heads crowns of gold. Rev. 4. “And they had harps, and golden vials full of odors.” Rev. 5. Likewise, those who obtain the victory over the beast and his mark, will obtain the harps of God. Rev. 15. Now none of these things can be obtained without faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Through repentance and faith we obtain pardon for sin, and become heirs of God. Faith must be exercised and purified, and is also compared to the precious gold which is tried by fire. 1 Pet. 1. And we are told that faith is more precious than gold. Yet faith is nothing but an assurance of obtaining certain things which we have not yet obtained. I can buy a note. But that note in itself is nothing to me only inasmuch as the security is good, and finally brings to me the real value marked down in the note. Thus we may also buy faith, and in it is contained good security for eternal riches, or heavenly gold, which will be due when Jesus comes, and given to every one who has sold himself to the Lord, and presented his body a living, consuming sacrifice during his time of probation. Oh! let the purifying process go on. Let me no longer be mine own, but the Lord's—the Lord's only, and that to all eternity.
The white raiment seems to present both the idea of white, heavenly robes, and also that of purity and holiness. Of the great multitude that stood before the throne of God, it is said that they were “clothed with white robes and palms in their hands.” “And they have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7. In some versions it is rendered long, white robes, which is also a true rendering of the original. Now we can not doubt that these glorified ones were truly clad in heavenly raiment, pure and white. Nor can we doubt that when it is said they have washed their robes, that this refers to their character. They cannot change their character in Heaven, but on earth, during the time of probation, they turned from their sinful and unholy ways to God. They obtained pardon through Jesus' blood, and by his constant intercession for them, they were strengthened to overcome their besetments. They were purified and sanctified, and thus obtain, at last, heavenly purity and heavenly robes.
The same ideas are plainly contained in Rev. 3:4, 5: “Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments; and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment.” They had not defiled their garments, nor character. They had sought and obtained pardon for their past sins, and were now living in holiness, obeying the commandments of God. And in the world to come they would both sustain the most blameless character, and also be clothed in purer white than this earth can produce, which would agree well with their character.
“There will love freely flow, Pure as life's river.”
Several other texts present the same idea, and they are doubtless also contained in our text. When the shame and nakedness of the wicked shall be discovered in the last great reckoning day, then God's people will shine with heavenly glory in the purest white. And the unholy conversation of the ungodly shall pierce their consciences with fiercer pangs than the flames devouring them. Then the saints shall stand upon the sea of glass as holy and pure as heavenly angels. Is this possible? Has Jesus purchased for us such glorious salvation? Then let us not fail to secure it. Oh, let me not be found naked in that day, covered with sin and shame and pollution. Awake, thou that sleepest. Gird on the whole armor of God. Fight lawfully. We cannot afford to lose the prize. Yield not, yield not to the many strong temptations. Cling to Jesus. He can save; and he will save to the uttermost. Blessed be God. May you and I, dear reader, rejoice in his salvation.
The eyesalve cannot be obtained without the unction from on high. The Holy Spirit must assist us to know ourselves. But we can no more obtain faith, or holiness, without the aid of the Spirit, than we can obtain eyesalve. The eyesalve must therefore include more than this. It embraces a certain portion of the Word of God, and affects a peculiar branch of our experience. This is not difficult to understand, when we consider the 17th verse in connection with it. There is a blindness or ignorance in regard to our true condition. Thou knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked. What portion of the Holy Scriptures is appointed to open our eyes on this point? The law of God. What portion of the Scriptures does the Comforter use when he convinces of sin? The law. “By the law is the knowledge of sin.” Rom. 3. “I had not known sin, but by the law.” Rom. 7. “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” Ps. 19. On this point we might bring an abundance of texts, but this is not necessary, for this is a well-established fact among us, that the law of ten commandments, with all its relations and branches and various duties founded upon the same, is the great instrument to open our eyes, and to give us a clear perception of our own misery and poverty. But it is not enough that we have a knowledge of this eyesalve; we must also anoint our eyes with it. That is, we must apply it to ourselves. We must see our own failings and repent of them. Without this precious self-knowledge, we can never obtain genuine faith nor holiness. And without the powerful influence of the Holy Spirit, we never can apply it to poor self.
There is another kind of eyesalve afloat in the world which is counterfeit. Yet it sells at a much higher rate, and there is an immense call for it. It is manufactured by Beelzebub, the principal of the great vanity fair. When it is applied to the eyes, a person can see very clearly the sins and imperfections of others. Another application will enable him to see these wrongs very much enlarged. He can scarcely think of anything else, and there is an aching desire in the heart to hold up these sins before others, and peddle them around in the neighborhood. This is often done, pitying the poor transgressors, which is mistaken for brotherly love, or an interest in his welfare. A third application will make a person see wrongs in others which never existed, and such are also peddled around. This eyesalve truly makes clear-sighted. It has at first a pleasant effect, but the drugs of it are very bitter. It is always bought very dearly. Peace and love and the blessing of God are given in exchange for it. It causes anger, hatred, jealousy, envy, and slander to spring up in the heart, and these sometimes grow so exceedingly that their leaves stick out of the very eyes. It is pitiful to see that so much of this devilish quack is afloat in the world. And it is still more pitiful that Sabbath-keepers deal so largely in this miserable trash. Brethren, we want to get rid of this poisonous drug entirely. Some of us have bought eyesalve from Jesus, but still more or less particles of the old poison remain in our eyes. Oh! for a perfect cleansing from the dreadful remains of this terrible delusion. Oh! for an abundance of eyesalve from Jesus, that we may mend our failings. Brethren, let us try to walk in love as God's dear children. Are we kind at home in our family? It is easy enough to show a kind face once in a while among strangers. Husbands and wives, parents and children, do you walk in love at home? Are you kind and courteous? Are there no bitter words? no impatience and complaint? no jealousy or unreconciled feelings? Buy the eyesalve. Repent of your wrongs. Mend your peace. Love is the fulfilling of the law. Without it you will never find a home in the heavenly kingdom.
The chastisement of Jesus is a sure pledge of his love. “As many as I love I rebuke and chasten.” This is done by the Spirit and word of God, and also through afflictions. “Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now have I kept thy word. . . . It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.” Ps. 119:67, 71. “If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons.” Heb. 12. Oh, that we may learn to submit to the chastening rod, and be exercised thereby to yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness. We must awake from the lukewarm state, cost what it may. We cannot afford to lose the inheritance. Let us rather become poor and despised in this world. May the Lord help us to be zealous and repent.
Jesus stands at the door knocking. How often he has called, by his Word, by his Spirit, by his providence. Oh! steel not thy heart. Other friends have occupied the room. Farms and houses, money and honor, ease and pleasures, fashionable dress and appetites, trifling and vain conversation, have often been in the company which thou hast entertained. There is no room for Jesus. Then you hear him knock. Oh! the Lord calls. I must go and see what he wants. My son, says he, let me come in and sup with thee. My daughter, dispatch thy companions, and hold sweet communion with me. You say, Yes, I will. I want to be saved. I want a place in the kingdom with God's children. I am determined, by the grace of God, to stand with you upon Mount Zion. But the old friends did not go very far. Soon they came back. Come and joke a little with us. Laugh and talk about the news, and gossip of the neighborhood. The dress must be trimmed and fixed to make you look like somebody. The perverted appetites call for indulgence. The carnal lusts burn. The world must be attended to. Jesus is forgotten. You are quite at home in the world. You are no pilgrim and stranger here. Heaven is not uppermost in your thoughts. Angels weep. In sadness they turn away and leave you. You grieve the Spirit. You are in a fair way to ruin, eternal ruin. Your time of probation is fast fleeting. Soon you may be heard wailing and weeping, and lamenting: The summer is past, the harvest is ended, and I am not saved. How many of my readers will be found there? All who do not most diligently use their time of probation, and obtain holiness of heart, and purity of life. “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.” Heb. 12:14.
Again Jesus knocks. He hath not yet forsaken thee. Unfaithful as thou hast been, yet he will save to the uttermost. Have you nothing to entertain this holy guest with? Never mind. Only let him in, and he will entertain you. He will serve at the table. Here he spreads out before thee his precious blood and bitter sufferings. He whispers, I was bruised for thine iniquities, wounded for thy transgressions. Thy sins which are many, I freely forgive. Then comes a sweet assurance of acceptance with God, and a fountain of peace springs up in thy heart. The living hope is begotten within, and faith, revived, takes a pleasing view of the blessed inheritance. Earth, with its cares and troubles, is forgotten. Life with its turmoil is left behind. Jesus is mine. I sup with him, and he with me. Soon he will appear to take me home. I count the days. The road may be rough, but it cannot be long. Jesus is soon coming. Oh! happy day. He will give me the crown, the harp, the robe. Oh! the treasures of Heaven. What light, and glory, and bliss, and joys unknown to poor mortals! What fields of delight, and rivers of pleasure! See the majestic trees, and the splendid fruit. The beautiful fragrant flowers. Hear the rich, melodious songs, and mighty music of Heaven. And the city, the city, the city of my God! My Father's house, how nigh. Jesus, come to bring us home. Let my poor heart never, never more be charmed with this trembling, perishing world. Tarry with me, blessed Jesus. Tarry, for the shades of evening tell me the night is near. Keep me, shield me, bless me, give me thy peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14. O troubled heart, here is peace, sweet, heavenly peace. It floweth like a river, steady, calm, and onward. Let us not rest till we obtain this peace. If once lost, let us seek it again. It can be preserved by constant watching, fervent prayer, and often communing with Jesus. It is a river of love as well as peace, and never ceases till it is emptied into the eternal ocean of love and peace. Then may you and I, dear reader, sit with Jesus upon his throne. And we will make the heavenly arches ring with the richest melody, and sweetest praise, singing, “Blessing and honor, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever and ever.”

More of God.

More of God! “show us thy glory,” As one pleads in sacred story, Reveal thyself to us.
More of God! O for that breath That quickens, saves the soul from death, Thy Spirit breathed in us.
More of God! O living Spring, One drop shall cause our hearts to sing, O let us drink of thee.
More of God! To us be given A crumb of thee, thou bread of Heaven, O let us feed on thee.
More of God! ’Tis thee we need, And still our longing souls shall plead, For more and more of thee.
More of God! The boon is given, We find our rest, our joy, our heaven In more and more of thee.
—Guide to Holiness.

Teaching by Comparison.

ELI. S. REINHELD, discoursing in the Sunday-school World on “The Master’s Methods,” says among other things:— “The Saviour in his instructions observed a fundamental principle in all good teaching—that of using the known to teach the unknown. By comparison, by contrast, by parables, and by symbols, he led the minds of his hearers to comprehend the high truths he taught to men. His favorite “it is like” might well be more generally used. When a statement of a truth or a fact is followed by an “it is like” that is clear and intelligible, scholars will grasp the illustration, and by it hold fast that which is illustrated. Such illustrations must be wisely adapted. To a farmer the Saviour would speak of the sower; to the shepherd of the lost sheep. The lessons he drew from the foolish builders, the leaven, the net, hired laborers, the lighted lamp, and scores of like instances, are evidences to us how wonderfully he adapted his teaching to the understandings of men.

An Important Fact.

DR. McCULLOCH, an author, of Baltimore, says: “There is no word in the Hebrew language that signifies either soul or spirit in the technical sense in which we use the terms, as implying something distinct from the body.”—Credibility of the Scriptures, Vol. II, pp. 466-8.

THE JUDGMENT;

By James White

OR, THE WAYMARKS OF DANIEL TO THE HOLY CITY.

(Concluded.)
Verses 13, 14. “I saw in the night visions, and behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of Days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.”
The scene here described is not the second advent of Christ to this earth. It is a coming to the Ancient of Days, who is not on earth, but in Heaven. There, in the presence of the Ancient of Days, a kingdom, dominion, and glory, are given him. The Son of man receives his kingdom before his return to this earth. See Luke 19 : 10–12, and onward. This is a scene, therefore, which transpires in the heavenly temple, and is closely connected with that brought to view in verses 9 and 10. He receives the kingdom at the close of his priestly work in the sanctuary. The peoples, nations, and languages, that shall serve him are the nations of the saved, Rev. 21 : 24, not the wicked nations of the earth; for these are dashed in pieces at the second advent. Some out of all the nations, tribes, and kindreds of the earth will find themselves at last in the kingdom of God, to serve him there with joy and gladness forever and ever.
Verses 15–18. “I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the Most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever.”
No less anxious should we be than was Daniel, to understand the truth of all this. And whenever we inquire with equal sincerity of heart, we shall find the Lord no less ready now, than in the days of the prophet, to lead to a correct knowledge of these important truths. The beasts and the kingdoms which they represent, have already been explained. We have followed the prophet down through the course of events even to the complete destruction of the fourth and last beast, the final subversion of all earthly governments. What next? The saints take the kingdom. The saints, those of all others held in low esteem in this world, despised, reproached, persecuted, cast out, who were considered the least likely of all men ever to realize their hopes, take the kingdom and possess it forever.
Verses 19, 20. “Then I would know the truth of the fourth beast, which was diverse from all the others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; which devoured, brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet; and of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes and a mouth that spake very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.”
Of the first three beasts of this series, Daniel had so clear an understanding that he had no trouble in reference to them. But he was astonished at this fourth beast so unnatural and dreadful. Wonderful was all this to the prophet, but something still more wonderful appears. It is the little horn that thrusts up three of the ten horns as it comes up. This horn has eyes, not the uncalculating eyes of a brute, but the keen, intelligent eyes of a man. It also has a mouth which utters proud sayings, and puts forth preposterous and arrogant claims.
Verses 21, 22. “I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.”
Daniel saw this horn making war upon the saints. Has this been true of the papacy? Let fifty millions of martyrs answer. Witness the cruel persecution of the popes of Rome against the Waldenses, the Albigenses, and Protestants in general. It is stated on good authority that the persecutions, massacres, and religious wars, excited by the Roman church, have occasioned the shedding of far more blood of the saints of the Most High than all the enmity, hostility, and persecutions, of all the heathen from the foundation of the world.
Verses 23–25. “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces. And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise; and another shall arise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings. And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and think to change times and laws; and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.”
We briefly notice the specification of the fourth beast, its ten horns, and the little horn, as follows:—
1. The fourth beast. This beast represents the fourth universal empire, which is Rome, the same as symbolized by the fourth, or iron division of the great metallic image of chapter 2. Rome answers to the prophecy in diversity from other kingdoms, and in the universality and tyranny of her iron rule. “The empire of the Romans,” says Gibbon, “filled the world. And when that empire fell into the hands of a single person, the world became a safe and dreary prison for his enemies. To resist was fatal; and it was impossible to fly.”
2. The ten horns. Between the years A. D. 356 and 483, the Roman empire was divided into ten kingdoms, as noticed in remarks on verse 8. Thus, the ten horns are ten kings, or kingdoms, that arise out of the Roman empire.
3. The little horn. It will be admitted that a power has arisen answering with great exactness to the specifications of this horn, and that it is the papacy. It speaks great words against the Most High, and wears out the saints. The same character is given in Rev. 13 : 6, 7: “And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in Heaven, and it was given unto him to make war with the saints.” Paul calls this same power “the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God.” 2 Thess. 2 : 3, 4. The titles which the popes have assumed, of “Most Holy Lord,” and their pretensions to pardon sin, even before its commission, if we had nothing else, sufficiently establish the blasphemous character of that power.
Pope Innocent III. writes: “He [Christ] hath set one man over the world, him whom he hath appointed his vicar on earth; and as to Christ is bent every knee in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, so shall obedience and service be paid to his vicar by all, that there may be one fold and one shepherd.”
Again, Pope Gregory VII. says, “The Roman pontiff alone is by right universal. In him alone is the right of making laws. Let all kings kiss the feet of the pope. His name alone shall be heard in the churches. It is the only name in the world. It is his right to depose kings. His word is not to be repealed by any one. It is to be repealed by himself alone. He is to be judged by none. The church of Rome has never erred, and the Scriptures testify it never shall err.”
Here, most certainly, is a power diverse from all others, and proud and blasphemous enough to answer the character of the little horn. It is said of this horn that he shall think to change times and laws. What laws? and whose? Not the laws of other earthly governments; for it was nothing marvelous nor strange for one power to change the laws of another, whenever it could bring such power under its dominion. Not human laws of any kind; for the little horn had power to change these so far as its jurisdiction extended; but the times and laws in question were such as this power should only think to change, but not be able to change. They are the laws of the same Being to whom the saints belong, whom it wears out with persecution; namely, the laws of the Most High. And has the papacy attempted this? Yes, even this. It has expunged the second commandment to make way for its adoration of images. It has divided the tenth to make up the number. And, more audacious than all! it has taken hold of the fourth commandment, torn from its place the Sabbath of Jehovah, the only memorial of the great God ever given to man, and erected in its place a rival institution to serve another purpose. See Catholic catechisms, and the work entitled, “Who Changed the Sabbath?”
4. The period expressed by the prophetic phrase, and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time. The pronoun, they, embraces the saints, the times, and the laws just mentioned. How long a time were they to be given into the hands of this power? A time, see chapter 4 : 23, is one year; two times, the least that could be denoted by the plural, two years, and the dividing of time, or half a time, half a year. We thus have three years and a half for the continuance of this power. We must now consider that we are in the midst of symbolic prophecy; hence this measurement is not literal but prophetic. The inquiry then arises how long a period is denoted by the three years and a half prophetic time? The only rule given us in the Bible is, that when a day is used as a symbol, it stands for a year. Eze. 4 : 6. Num. 14 : 34. The ordinary Jewish year, which must be used as the basis of reckoning, contained three hundred and sixty days. Three years and a half contained twelve hundred and sixty days. Each day standing for a year, we have twelve hundred and sixty years for the continuation of this horn. Did the papacy possess dominion that length of time? The answer again is, Yes.
The edict of the Emperor Justinian, dated A. D. 533, made the bishop of Rome the head of all the churches. But this edict could not go into effect till the Arian Ostrogoths, the last of the three horns that were plucked up to make room for the papacy, were driven from Rome, and this was not accomplished till A. D. 538. The edict would have been of no effect had this latter event not been accomplished; hence from this latter year we are to date, as this was the earliest point where the saints were in reality in the hands of this power. From this point did the papacy hold supremacy for twelve hundred and sixty years? Exactly.
Verse 26. “But the judgment shall sit, and they shall take away his dominion, to consume and to destroy it unto the end.”
At the close of the long period of its blasphemous and bloody rule, judgment finally sits upon the papacy. The time had come for the prophetic words of Rev. 13 : 10, to be fulfilled: “He that leadeth into captivity shall go into captivity; he that killeth with the sword must be killed with the sword.” From A. D. 538 the clearly defined date for the commencement of this prophetic period, measures 1260 years, and we are brought to A. D. 1798, when Berthier, a French general, entered Rome, proclaimed a republic, took the pope a prisoner, and for a time abolished the papacy. And it has never since enjoyed the privileges and immunities which it possessed before. Thus again this power fulfills, to the very letter, the specifications of the prophecy.
Some very startling events relative to the papacy, filling up the prophecies uttered in this chapter concerning that power, have taken place within a few years of the present time. Commencing in 1798 where the great national judgment fell upon the papacy, what have been the chief characteristics of its history? Answer: The rapid defection of its natural supporters, and greater assumptions on its own part. At the close of the 2300 days of chapter 8, in 1844, judgment of another kind began to sit, namely, the investigative judgment in the heavenly sanctuary, preparatory to the coming of Christ. Dec. 8, 1854, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was decreed by the pope. July 21, 1870, in the great Ecumenical Council assembled at Rome, it was deliberately decreed by a vote of 538 against 2 that the pope was infallible. In the same year Napoleon, by whose bayonets the pope was kept upon his throne, was crushed by Prussia, and the last prop was knocked from under the papacy. Then Victor Emanuel, seizing this opportunity to carry out the long-cherished dream of a united Italy, seized Rome to make it the capital of his kingdom. To his troops under General Cadorna, Rome surrendered, Sept. 20, 1870. Then the last vestige of the temporal power departed, nevermore, said Victor Emanuel, to be restored; and the pope has been virtually a prisoner in his own palace since that time. Because of the great words which the horn uttered, Daniel saw the beast destroyed and given to the burning flame. This destruction is to take place at the second coming of Christ and by means of that event; for the man of sin is to be consumed by the spirit of Christ’s mouth, and destroyed by the brightness of his coming. 2 Thess. 2 : 8. What words could be greater, more presumptuous, more blasphemous, more insulting to high Heaven, than the deliberate adoption of the dogma of Infallibility, clothing a mortal man with the prerogative of the Deity, which was accomplished by papal intrigue and influence, July 21, 1870! Following in swift succession, the last vestige of temporal power was swept from his grasp. It was because of these words, and as if in almost immediate connection with them, that the prophet saw this power given to the burning flame. His dominion was to be consumed unto the end; implying that when the last vestige of his power was consumed as a civil ruler, the end is not far off.
Verses 27, 28. “And the kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him. Hitherto is the end of the matter. As for me Daniel, my cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance changed in me; but I kept the matter in my heart.”
After beholding the dark and desolate picture of papal oppression upon the church, the prophet once more turns his eyes with delight upon the glorious period of the saints’ rest, when they shall have the kingdom in everlasting possession. What could the children of God do in this present evil world, sighing over the misrule and oppression of the governments of earth, and the abominations that are done in the land, if they could not look forward to the kingdom of God, and the return of their Lord, with full assurance that the promises concerning them both shall certainly be fulfilled, and that speedily?
Now let us see whereabouts we are in prophetic chain. We have passed the lion, Babylon. We have also passed the bear with three ribs in his mouth. The sign of the leopard with four wings of a fowl and four heads has been passed. The dreadful and terrible beast with ten horns has been seen. We have passed the little horn having eyes like the eyes of a man, and a mouth speaking great things. That is among the things numbered in the past. What comes next? The Judgment and God’s everlasting kingdom.
JAMES WHITE.

Open Hearts to God’s Goodness

There is dew in one flower and not in another, because one opens its cup and takes it in, while the other closes itself and the drop runs off. So God rains goodness and mercy as wide as the dew, and if we lack them, it is because we do not open our hearts to receive them.

Romish Dealing with Sins.

By John Norton Loughborough

(Concluded.)
Closely connected with this confession is the absolution of the priest. Christ says: “Thus it is written, that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name, among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” Repentance and remission, therefore, are not administered but preached; there is no sacrament; there is only a preaching. “To obtain remission of sins, it is only necessary to have faith in Christ, from whom comes remission, and to ask the forgiveness through Christ, not of a priest. But let us see what the church of Rome says on this point.
“Q. Now to whom has Christ given the power to forgive sins?” “A. Christ gave power to forgive sins to the apostles and to their successors, the bishops and priests of the church.
“Q. By what sacraments are sins forgiven?” “A. Sins are forgiven by baptism and penance.
“Q. What is the sacrament of penance?” “A. The sacrament of penance is a sacrament in which the sins we have committed after baptism are forgiven.
“Q. How are sins forgiven in the sacrament of penance?” “A. Sins are forgiven in the sacrament of penance by the priest’s absolution, joined with contrition, confession, and satisfaction.”
In Weninger’s Catechism we read:— “Q. When does the priest forgive sins?” “A. When he gives absolution to the sinner.
“Q. Can all sins be forgiven by the sacrament of penance?” “A. Yes; if the conditions required for a worthy reception of this sacrament be fulfilled.
“Q. Which are the required conditions? “A. Contrition, confession, and satisfaction.
“Q. What is satisfaction? “A. It is the humble performance of the penance imposed by the priest.”
The penance to be performed is fasting, with a certain round of prayers, etc. Of this system of penance and absolution, Kirwan says: “Penance is a sacrament by which the sins committed after baptism are forgiven. Your doctrine is, that original sin is washed away in baptism, and that penance secures the forgiveness of all sins committed after baptism! Where is this distinction taught in the Bible?”
“On the part of the penitent, penance consists in contrition, confession, satisfaction. Contrition is a hearty sorrow for sin, with a resolution to sin no more; confession is a full and sincere declaration of all our sins to a priest; satisfaction is a faithful performance of the prayers and good works enjoined by the confessor. So far for the penitent.
“On the part of the priest, it consists in the absolution which he pronounces by the authority of Jesus Christ. The form of absolution is in these words: ‘I absolve thee from thy sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.’”
“The effects of the sacrament are thus stated in the ‘Poor Man’s Catechism’: ‘It remits all the sins of the penitent without exception—restores him to the grace he had forfeited—replenishes his soul with the greatest peace, tranquillity, and spiritual delights, and reinstates him again in the fellowship of God, as the prodigal son after his return was restored to his former honour in the house of his father.’ Wonderful results from such causes! May I ask here, If the parable of the prodigal son is meant to represent the way of return of a sinner to God, where did he stop to make confession and receive absolution?
“None but a priest can grant absolution; and the power of a priest to absolve, you draw from John 20: 22, 23: ‘And when he had said this he breathed on them and said unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained,’ and from Matt. 16, 15–19.
“Such, sir, in brief, is your sacrament of penance. Let us now look at it in the light of Scripture and reason. . . . Addressing Peter, and through him the other disciples, he (Christ) says, ‘I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven.’ Need I tell you, sir, that by ‘the kingdom of Heaven here is meant the church of Christ? Can such a master in Israel as you are, be ignorant of this? This being so, ‘the keys of the kingdom’ simply mean the power of admitting proper persons to the church and excluding improper persons from it. Keys, you know, were the ancient emblem of authority. How simple and common sense is all this!
“Continuing to address Peter, and through him the other disciples, he says, ‘Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven.’ To bind and to loose here are equivalent to bidding and forbidding, to granting and refusing, to declaring lawful or unlawful. The apostles were indued with the Holy Ghost that they might infallibly declare the will of God to mankind, and determine what was or was not binding on the conscience—to show what persons ought, or ought not, to be admitted to the church, and to decide on the character of those whose sins were or were not forgiven. And whatever in these, or similar things, they bound or loosed on earth, would be bound or loosed in Heaven. This is also the meaning of John 20: 22, 23, already quoted.
“This, sir, I believe to be common sense, the fair and just interpretation of a passage on which your church has built up a priestly power that has overshadowed the earth and enslaved nations. Where now, sir, is your supremacy of Peter—your power of the keys—your power of absolution? Gone, like the morning cloud before the sun. Blessed be God, you have not yet turned your keys upon the common sense of the world.”
Growing out of the doctrine of penance and absolution is the papal doctrine of indulgences. Of these, Butler says:— “Q. Will the penance enjoined in confession always satisfy for our sins?” “A. No; but whatever else is wanting may be supplied by indulgences and our own penitential endeavors.
“Q. What is the use of an indulgence? “A. It releases from canonical penances, enjoined by the church on penitents for certain sins.
“Q. Has an indulgence any other effect? “A. It also remits the temporary punishments with which God often visits our sins, and which must be suffered in this life, or in the next; unless cancelled by indulgences, by acts of penance, and other good works.
“Q. To whom does the church grant indulgences? “A. To such only as are in a state of grace; and are sincerely desirous to amend their lives; and to satisfy God’s justice by penitential works.
“Q. An indulgence is not then a pardon for sins to come, nor a license to commit sins? “A. No; nor can it remit past sins—for sin must be remitted by penance, as to the guilt of it, and the eternal punishment due to mortal sin, before an indulgence can be gained.”
We see, as carefully stated in their catechisms, they deny that an indulgence is a license to sin, but we will hear in conclusion the words of Kirwan on this subject:—
“Need I revert to the traffic in indulgences so zealously promoted by your foes in past days? Need I point you to their wholesale manufacture by your popes—to their selling them by wholesale to tribes of vagabond monks who hawked them all over Europe at prices to suit purchasers? The pope drove as good a bargain as he could with the monks and the monks with the people. For the indulgence which a poor peasant could purchase for a few pennies, a prince must pay pounds. The common sense of the world was insulted; the yoke of Rome became too heavy for the nations longer to bear; a poor monk discovered a copy of the Bible, and its truths filled his mind and his soul; strong in the Lord he went out from his dark cell with the lamp of life in hand; the Reformation follows.
“But, you will say, all this was abuse of the thing. My dear sir, your doctrine of relics and indulgences have no use—they are all abuse. Guard them as you may in your catechisms and books, practically they are all abuse. Millions have prayed at the tombs of your saints who never offered an intelligent prayer to God through his Son. Millions have worshiped your relics who never worshiped God in Spirit and in truth. And millions have sought deliverance from sin by your penance and extreme unctions, and indulgences, who never sought it through the blood of Christ.
“The frauds which your church have practiced on the world by her relics and indulgences are enormous. If practiced by the merchants of New York in their commercial transactions, they would send every man of them to State prison.” J. N. Loughborough.
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