Earlier text: Battle Creek Bible Class.—July 11, 1868Prophecy is History in Advance. The earliest mention of this place in Scripture is in connection with the pursuit by Abraham of the kings who had made a prisoner of his nephew, Lot. Having effected the rescue of that person, Abraham, on his return to Hebron where he lived, (20 miles south of Jerusalem,) was met by Melchizedek, the King of Salem, who came out with bread and wine to the valley of Shaveh—probably the point just below the City—and blessed him in the name of the most high God. Five hundred years after this we find the place named Jebus, afterward Jerusalem. The Turks at the present day call it El Khuds, signifying Holy City; also Beit el Mackhudis, the House of the Sanctuary. As early as the conquest of Canaan, 1,451 B. C., Jerusalem was a considerable place. The league of five kings against Joshua, which was broken up at the great battle of Gibeon, was formed at the suggestion of the King of Jerusalem. . . . In the division of Canaan among the Twelve Tribes, Jerusalem fell to Benjamin, and how it came to be transferred to Judah is difficult to explain. Perhaps it was by the right of conquest, for the tribe of Judah was the first to capture it from the Jebusites. Other cases similar to this are to be found where important places were transferred from one tribe to another, and no reasons given for it. The first settlement of Jerusalem, under the Jewish nation, was by King David, 1015 B. C. He captured it from the Jebusites, fortified a portion of it, and built the palace there. During the reign of Solomon, other portions were enclosed within its walls, and the temple built. Since that period it has been seventeen times destroyed and rebuilt. 1. Four years after King Solomon’s death it was taken and plundered by Shishak, king of Egypt. 2. One hundred and forty-five years afterward it was taken by Jehoash, king of Israel, plundered, and a large portion of the walls demolished. 3. Two hundred and thirty-eight years afterward it was taken by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, and almost totally destroyed. The temple of Solomon was buried, together with the king’s palace. The larger part of the people were carried into captivity. The city lay desolate for half a century. Then Zerubbabel led back 52,000 of the captives and rebuilt the temple, with a portion of the dwellings. Seventy-nine years after, Ezra conducted a second colony, and thirteen years later Nehemiah guided the third and rebuilt the walls. 4. Two hundred and seventy-five years afterward, Antiochus, Epiphanes stormed the city, and slew 80,000 of the inhabitants. Two years after this he returned and totally destroyed the city. This was the most terrible calamity the Jews had ever experienced. 5. One hundred and six years afterward it was taken by Pompey, the Roman general, who then attached Judea as a province of the Roman Empire. . . . Shortly afterward, Herod the Great commenced to rebuild the city. In this he labored with great assiduity for forty years, restoring the fortifications, the temple, and the walls, to more than their former magnificence. It was in this condition when our Saviour made it the scene of his ministrations. 6. One hundred and thirteen years after its capture by Pompey, it was stormed by Titus, the Roman general, and totally destroyed. Of all its grandeur and beauty, he left nothing but two or three towers in the western wall as mementos that a great city had stood there. More than a million of people perished during the siege. 7. Sixty-two years afterward, it was rebuilt in part, by the Emperor Adrian, who gave it the name of Aelia. 8. One hundred and seventy-four years afterward, it was further rebuilt, and many splendid Christian churches erected by Helena, mother of Constantine, the Roman Emperor. 9. Two hundred and thirty-one years afterward, the city was still more strongly built and beautified by the Roman Emperor, Justinian. 10. Seventy-seven years afterward, it was taken by the Persians, and nearly demolished. 11. A year afterward, the Romans took it, and rebuilt the portion that had been destroyed by the Persians. 12. Twenty-three years afterward, it was taken by the Arabians, who held it for 437 years. 13. Next came the Turks, who took it from the Arabians. 14. Twenty-five years afterward, and on the 15th of July, 1099, the Crusaders, under Baldwin, took it by assault, after a siege of forty days, and restored the Christian emblems which were cast down nearly 500 years before. 15. Eighty-eight years afterward, it was taken by the Turks under Saladin, who had first gained a great and decisive victory over the Christian army, at Hallin, near the Sea of Galilee. 16. During the next fifty-seven years, Jerusalem changed masters several times, but in the year of our Lord, 1244, the Turks finally established themselves in possession, and have held it to the present day, a period of 622 years. What a history is this! For 3,500 years these hills have been the scene of mortal strife. The echoes of these surrounding mountains have resounded to the warriors of a hundred nations—seventeen times destroyed, and as often rebuilt—now a place of grandeur and luxury—now a place of desolation! With these facts before us we shall understand the Lamentations of Jeremiah, and can more perfectly enter into the spirit of those words uttered by our Saviour as he stood upon the Mount of Olives, east of the city, and looked down upon it, doomed within less than forty years to become a place of desolation, and said: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee. . . . Your house is left unto you desolate!” Having thus sketched the history of this far-famed city, I proceed to mention a few of those events with which it is associated in sacred history: 1. In the year 1872, B. C., Abraham came here, a three day’s journey from Beersheba, to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, as God had appointed. It has been made a question among Bible Commentators, whether it was Mount Moriah—adjoining Jerusalem—upon which this sublime act of faith occurred, or Moreh, near Shechem, forty miles further north. Without attempting to decide a question upon which the wisest have differed, it appears to me that the burden of evidence rests in favor of Jerusalem. 2. When King David came here from Hebron, twenty miles south, to capture this place from the Jebusites, Jerusalem only covered a small portion of its present site, that of Zion in the southwest. The place was protected by walls that rendered it almost impregnable, and the enemy felt so secure that they ventured to insult King David with the challenge, that even their blind, and lame men could keep him out. Upon this, King David made proclamation that whoever should first enter into the city, should be made the general of his army. The valiant Joab gained the prize, and Zion was taken. As the strongest parts of a fort are those that are least looked after by the defenders, it is likely that this daring man climbed up by night at the northeast corner of the city, where the crags are more than 100 feet high and exceedingly steep, and there made his entrance. 3. When Rabshakeh, the captain of the king of Babylon approached Jerusalem, he took his station at the Upper Pool of Gibeon, opposite the northwest corner, and it was at this point that the Crusaders made their attack in 1099. When Pompey besieged Jerusalem, he made his headquarters, it is said, on the hill south of the city, now called the Hill of Evil Counsel. But when Titus, 133 years afterward, began his siege, he established himself on the hill Scopus, north of the city. It was on the eminence called Neby Samuel, or Mizpeh, five miles north of Jerusalem, that King Richard the lion-hearted, stood in the last Crusade, when he buried his face in his hands, and prayed, “Ah, Lord God, suffer me not to look upon Jerusalem, if so be that I may not rescue it from the hands of thine enemies.” 4. It was at Jerusalem that the people of Israel were expected to assemble themselves together, at least once a year, to worship in God’s holy temple. To this point they came up by hundreds of thousands, and by millions! By the southern road, by way of Hebron and Bethlehem; by the eastern road, by way of Bethabara and Jericho and Bethany; by the north-eastern road, by way of Golan and Succoth; by the northern road, by way of Shiloh and Bethel; by the north-western road, by the Pass of Beth-horon, and by Gibeon; these people sought their God in his covenanted place, and made their offerings and their sacrifices, according to the Law of Moses. Not only the city within the walls, which were more than three miles in circumference, must have been crowded to overflowing upon these occasions, but the adjacent hillsides, and the neighboring villages, and wherever a spot could be found for a camping place. Different, indeed, is the present appearance of Jerusalem. A town with scarcely 12,000 inhabitants, with streets narrow, crooked, and offensive to eye and nostrils, a city of strangers—how forcible the contrast to that Golden City, that unequalled metropolis which afforded St. John a model for the “Holy City, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of Heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”—The Mystic Temple. ANGLICAN EXCLUSIVENESS IN INDIA.
In a place in India, where besides the missionaries there is also an Anglican government chaplain, it so happened that a harmonium was placed in the English chapel; and on Saturday evenings usually a goodly number of Europeans collected in the chapel to prepare the musical pieces for Sunday. On one of these Saturdays, a shameful outrage was committed by the chaplain. The local school teacher employed by the government is a pagan, but well disposed toward the Christian religion, is a well-educated man, has a title of master of arts, and a salary of 300 rupees a month. This man had ventured to do what was regarded most extraordinary for a Hindoo, and had never been seen in this place,—he had publicly walked out in the evening with his wife. At the invitation of a European family that usually assists at the singing in the chapel, he had come to visit the chapel with his wife to let her hear English church music. The chaplain, instead of being rejoiced at this approach of these enlightened, liberal-minded pagans, that had so far broken over the usages of Hindooism as to come, man and wife, thus publicly to the chapel, at once, without ceremony, requested the two to leave the chapel, as it was consecrated, and Pagans must not enter it! One of the missionaries present said to the chaplain, “You have done wrong, sir!” and another missionary expressed his regret to the Hindoos at the outrageous treatment they had received. The chaplain coolly remarked, that he knew well that he had not acted according to evangelical usage, and that the missionaries would have done far otherwise. The Pagan school teacher wrote a letter to the Christian chaplain, saying to him, that it seemed to him that he had no lawful right to act as he did, and that his conduct had been neither courteous nor in the spirit of the Bible. He himself, he said, could overlook the offense, but that he was much grieved at this treatment on the account of his wife and the English family that had invited him to the chapel. Instead of courteously answering this sensible letter, the chaplain sent it to the school-inspector, desiring him to know and reprove the impudence of his subordinate. In his expectation, however, he was grievously disappointed. The inspector declared to his reverence that he regarded his behaviour as in the highest degree improper, and that he felt that it was his duty to report the matter to the bishop. Any wonder that these Anglican clergy have, with71this worse than Hindoo pride of caste—clerical caste, no power with the people? To crown the whole matter, on the following Sunday this same chaplain preached a fine sermon on the duty of loving our neighbors, and always doing to others as we would have them do to us! The German missionary journal from which this account is taken, in answer to the question, why so few cultivated Hindoos show any disposition to become Christians, says: “The above related circumstance will serve to answer this question. It teaches us that the number of really evangelical Christians in India is small, and becoming smaller still,—while there are many worldly Christians; and besides these a large number of really well-meaning people, but who do not look upon the Christian religion otherwise than a sort of law—a dead form, to which we must conform. Is it a wonder that the Pagans do not go where they feel that they are not wanted, and where they are despised and excluded as unclean animals,—at least until a little holy water (sprinkling-baptism) is thrown upon them? On the doors of the few Dutch (Holland) chapels in Guayama, the inscription was once to be found, ‘Dogs and slaves not permitted to enter’! We smile in these enlightened times at this candid rudeness of the men of a former age; but does it not look after all at least more honest and tolerable than the conduct of this cultivated, high-church Anglican? How long will it take the missionaries to wipe out the effect from the minds of the Hindoos of such uncharitable conduct toward them by so-called Christians? —Christian Standard.” THY WILL BE DONE.
By Mrs. M. L. Rayne
In one of the upper chambers of a pleasant home, a little child lay very ill, apparently dying. Friends were gathering near to offer the last services of love and kindness, and the physician, whose assiduous skill seemed baffled, watched with grave attention the coming of the terrible spasms that threatened each instant dissolution. The little babe was itself unconscious of suffering or love, for its tender brain was benumbed with anguish it had endured, and all felt that it would indeed be a merciful hand that shortened the parting strife—all save one—that one the mother, who hung in agony above the couch of her child. She had not left it for a moment during its severe illness. She could neither eat nor sleep while her darling lay pale and senseless beside her; but she had never given up the hope that it would be spared to her, and now she refused to hear the physician’s voice, lest it should pronounce the fatal opinion. “I can not, can not give her up!” she cried wildly. “God will not require such a sacrifice at my hands. What has my darling done that she should suffer so? Oh! I can not, will not give her up! She must live.” In this rebellious spirit the mother continued, and, strange to say, at the very last moment succeeded in snatching her child from the very arms of death, and after a weary siege brought it back in triumph to convalescence and health. Mrs. Herbert, the mother of the child, became, in after years, a Christian, and when she looked back upon that hour of her life, shuddered at her own rebellious defiance of God’s wisdom. “Still,” she would say to herself, “I could not have given up my child, it would have killed me.” Years passed on; the babe from a lovely and engaging child grew to be a beautiful, intelligent girl, and early gave remarkable promise of a youth of rare maturity. Her impulses were all good, the powers of her mind of more than average strength, and her heart was early given to the Saviour, and her life sealed to him through baptism. Her parents doted upon her, her young friends held her up as a lovely example of what they themselves would wish to be, and her teachers were proud of her acquirements, and commended her diligence in study, and her gentle Christian deportment. In less than a year she expected to graduate with honor, and all her energies were put forth to this end. She was not of a sanguine temperament. Indeed, this was the cloud no bigger than a man’s hand in the horizon of her life, her proneness to melancholy; she regarded life with a critical attention, that realized its solemn importance. Hence she took but little interest in the frivolities that interested her young companions. “I cannot forget,” she would say, “that I am on probation for another life, that will never end, and when I see so many going on thoughtlessly to certain death, I shudder lest I, too, may become a castaway.” It was well that she had realized so fully the importance of her mission, for in the midst of her studies, without a moment’s warning, she was seized with a return of the dreadful convulsions that had well-nigh destroyed her infant life, and when they left, the power of thought and memory was gone, and the passive brain no longer wrought out future plans, or pondered over momentous deeds. The mother, thus again stricken, now saw her idolized child shut out from hopes and privileges that had always been her portion, and a victim to a dread disease which no physician could overcome, and looking back she saw how infinitely better it would have been had she died in her infancy. “I wrestled with God for her,” thought she, “and now I witness her sufferings, but am powerless to help. God knew what was best. I feel now as if he had permitted me to have my sinful wish that he might teach me in my woe to say, ‘Thy will be done.’ When I hear my dear child say, as she often does, that life has no longer any pleasure for her, and death would be welcome, I remember how I prayed that she might live, only live for my pleasure. Oh! surely God knows best after all.” Yes; God knows best. We must never forget this, nor that he does not willingly afflict. His ways are not as our ways, and the cross that presses us so heavily to the earth may yet lead our eyes heavenward, to read, as did Constantine, “In this I conquer.” The humility that is born of self-abasement and sorrow, is the proudest mantle the Christian can wear, for they who dimly grope here through the narrow path shall hereafter emerge into the perfect light, where the Lazaruses of this world dwell in Abraham’s bosom.—Mrs. M. L. Rayne, in Ladies’ Repository. THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPHECY.
The voice of prophecy being intended to serve as a guide to the church through all ages, it is unquestionably of great importance to ascertain, as far as possible, what portion of it really relates to the times in which we live, and to those events which are passing before our eyes. To this spiritual duty we are exhorted by the Apostle Peter, when he saith, “We have also a more sure word of prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts.” We have, moreover, the example of a holy man of old, who inquired diligently, “searching what or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” We likewise meet with a similar exhortation in Isaiah, where the question is put to the watchman, “Watchman, what of the night?” and what is repeated—“Watchman, what of the night?”—as is usually done when persons are in a panic, or when they fear the watchman did not hear them the first time. (Isa. xxi, 11, 12.) The exhortation is then given: “If ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come;” implying that it is of the utmost importance that the question should be answered, as much as if it had been said, “Do not go away without an answer; return, come.” “If you will inquire,” says Dr. Gill, “about the time of the night, and when the morning will come, inquire in good earnest; inquire seriously; search the Scripture; look into the prophetic parts of it—the several prophecies of the Old and New Testament respecting both the spiritual and PERSONAL COMING of Christ, and particularly the book of the Revelation, which is a prophetic history of events that should befall the church and the world, from the first times of Christianity to the end of all things; remain to be fulfilled,—carefully read over those accounts, and get the best help you can from those who have made it their study to understand and explain the things written therein, whereby you will in some measure know what is to come to pass,* and what is left behind.” Thus, whilst to the unbelieving world the future, with all the contingencies of human policy, is hidden behind a veil impenetrable by the human intellect, and which, unaided by the Revelation, it in vain endeavors to pierce, the Lord’s believing people, like the Israelites of old, amidst the surrounding Egyptian darkness, “have light in all their dwellings;” for “surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.” Amos iii, 7. And in the opening of the book of Revelation, he thus encourageth the investigation and study of its contents: “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things that are written therein; for the time is at hand.”—Habershon’s Preface, pp. 10–13. Disappointment at the Last Day.
DISAPPOINTMENTS are painful, often almost beyond endurance, in the comparatively-trifling concerns of the present life. Who then shall describe the anguish of disappointed, despairing souls, when the curtain of sense is withdrawn, and the scenes of the invisible world appear? Who can conceive the misery of those, whose unsuspected, long-cherished hopes suddenly vanish, in the blaze of eternity, and under the searching eye of Jehovah? They see the celestial city afar off, but it is shut against them. They see the happy company of the redeemed, but they must never be of their number. Instead of the approbation of God, they meet his frown. Instead of his favor, they endure his wrath. In place of expected glory and peace, they feel the gnawings of the never-dying worm, and the burning of unquenchable fire. And what puts the seal upon their destruction is, they know it is irreversible. They know their dreadful state is fixed. Could they look forward to any period, however distant, when they should enjoy again the offers of the gospel, it would be some relief; but no such prospect is presented. All around them is the blackness of darkness. All horror and despair. And to meet this, in place of an expected Heaven of glory and bliss—what a difference! What a depth of disappointment and woe! To conceive of the subject more fully, make it, reader, your own case. You now indulge a hope of Heaven. You flatter yourself that you have reason to hope. Your hope is dear to you, and you are unwilling to relinquish it. But admit it as possible, at least for a moment, that you may be deceived, and that were you called away in your present state, you must be found among the miserable. Suppose also that your summons had arrived, that the scenes of eternity had opened, and your future miseries were now disclosed. Oh, tell me, fellow-traveler to the Judgment, tell me if you can, what would be your feelings under such circumstances. What a fearfulness would surprise you! What a shuddering horror would come over you! What a disappointment would overwhelm you! Such a destruction of your fondest hopes—such a dashing of your most cherished expectations—such a fall—such a ruin;—how could you or I sustain it? Death of the Intemperate.
By Guide
It is a sad death,—there is no comfort on that dying pillow, no repose, no voice of friendship bidding adieu, no lighting up of joy in the departing spirit. It is a frequent death,—four every hour go through its gates in our own land. It is an early death, few drunkards live out half their days. It is an unlamented death;—“I am glad he is gone,” is the common saying, as the bell announces the solemn event; even his family look for comfort now he is no more. Let it be soberly contemplated, First, by the moderate drinker; it may be his turn. Second, by the vender; he has filled the bottle and done the deed. Third, by the magistrate; he signed the license. Fourth, by the heedless parent; it may yet be the death of his own son. Fifth, if not too late, by the drunkard himself, and let him escape as for his life. Habit hurries him onward, appetite hurries him onward, sickness hurries him onward, and the vender hurries him onward. But oh, his end! Yes, his awful end! Oh, reader, how can you remain idle and see your brother man approaching to that awful end every day! By-and-by these things will stare you in the face. If you have done your duty, and warned your fellow-man of his danger, it may be well with you; otherwise, depend upon it, you stand on slippery ground, and may have to share the same fate that awaits the drunkard. O professing Christians, how can you remain idle for one moment, and see your fellow-man dropping into a drunkard’s grave, doomed to a drunkard’s hell without raising your voice to warn him of the awful danger and the final fate of the drunkards?—Guide. REPENTANCE.—You might pound a lump of ice with a pestle into a thousand fragments, and it would not melt; but bring it beside your bright and blazing fire, and soon, in that genial glow, the living waters flow. A man may try to make himself contrite. He may search out his sins, and dwell on all their enormity, and still feel no true repentance. But come to Jesus, with his words of grace and truth. Let that flinty, frozen spirit bask in the beams of the Sun of righteousness—then it will melt. MEETING AT GREENVILLE, MICH.
SABBATH, July 11, being the time for a monthly gathering in this place, brethren were present from Stanton, Bushnell, and Orleans. The comfortable house of worship was quite well filled. Brn. Cyphers and Towle from Maine, who have located in the village of Greenville, will, no doubt, prove a valuable accession, and help to this church. Bro. White spoke at the usual hour in the forenoon, designing to occupy about thirty minutes in an unstudied talk upon Heb. xi, 14. “For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country;” which words were impressed upon his mind as he was about entering the house; but he warmed up with his subject, and matter grew upon his hands, till the time was all occupied with a discourse eminently practical, and adapted to the wants of the church at the present time. The way in which we are to declare to all around us that we seek a country, even a heavenly, was plainly pointed out. Is it not, while professing to believe that the end of all things is at hand, that earthly possessions will be of value but a little longer, and that the time for saving men will soon be over, to devote all our energies of bone, brain, and muscle, to gather in and heap up worldly wealth around us, which if the Lord, in his displeasure, does not scatter, the fires of the last day will soon and entirely consume. By so doing we declare, rather, in plainer terms than words can do it, that this is the world we are seeking with all our hearts, that we are expecting to stay a great while here, and have no occasion to seek any other country. The efforts and sacrifices made by the pioneers in this work to advance the truth, when its friends were few and means were limited, was contrasted with the course of many at the present time who are adding wealth to wealth, but doing comparatively little to advance the interests of the last message of mercy in the earth. Then, in some instances, possessions were sold, and put into the cause. Day laborers and domestics could give liberally of their scanty earnings to help on the proclamation of the truth. People did not seem to think it a terrible thing if their capital should gradually decrease on the altar; and some, as the result of their efforts, reduced themselves from a position of independence, to circumstances comparatively limited; but they have had enough even to the present day, and probably will have a sufficiency to the end; and they have had the infinite satisfaction of seeing their sacrifice owned of the Lord, and many souls embrace the truth as the result of their liberality. In this respect the present times do not compare favorably with the early period of the message. “But is it the duty of people now to sacrifice as some did then?” Of no one individual, probably, is so much now required; for believers are more numerous, and the burden need not rest so heavily on a few; but because none are required to do so much, it does not follow that they are not required to do anything. Because we are not required to go to the same extent, we may not conclude that we are not to act at all in this direction, nor especially that we are justified in so devoting all our energies to the accumulation of capital, whatever our occupation, as to be disqualified, from sheer physical and mental exhaustion, for our daily religious devotions, and unfit for the worship of God on the Sabbath. “But shall we not be diligent in business? Shall we not attend to our farms, cultivate the soil and secure the crops?” Certainly; but do not confine all your efforts to this work. Act as though there was another world in which you had an interest; and let your course show on which of these two worlds you place the greater value. Is this life one which is at most but of few days, and full of trouble? And is the life to come one of eternal years, and full of glory? Live and act accordingly. Let the land you occupy be forbidden ground for everything in the remotest degree prejudicial to your spiritual interests. Take time for religious growth. Let your hands be open wide to the cause of your Redeemer, and your treasure going forward to the heavenly land. Thus say to all around that you seek a country, and invite them with you to share in its eternal glories. But some are disposed to entertain feelings of regret, and even express complaints, at the view first presented to them of the coming of the Lord. It was represented as very near; and oh! if they had only known that he would not come in all these long years, how different would have been their plans. They would not have parted with this or that piece of property, they would have added this or that lot of land, and they would have engaged in this enterprise or the other. Very likely; and they would also have gone straight toward perdition. The only thing that has kept them anywhere has been an impression of the nearness of the coming of Christ; and the reason why they are not now in greater spiritual prosperity, why the world threatens to drown them in its cares, is because this great truth is ceasing to be an ever-present, living reality before their minds. This is why spiritual barrenness is apparent in many lives, and the love of the world is rooting out the love of the Father in many hearts. They do not say, with their means, as well as by word and act, that they seek a country, even a heavenly. When will the church declare plainly that they are but pilgrims and strangers here? Near the village of Greenville is quite a large settlement of Danes. About a year since, at the suggestion of Bro. White, the brethren here raised the amount of some twenty-one dollars to purchase, for the benefit of this settlement, a quantity of the Danish works written by Bro. Matteson. They were obtained, and have been to quite an extent called for and read, and Bro. Matteson is now invited to give a course of lectures among them. At Bro. M.'s advice, a Danish brother, O. Jenson, from Wisconsin, who is seeking a location, came on in advance to visit this settlement, and learn the prospect of their being benefited by a presentation of the truth. As he did so, the first one of his countrymen that he met was an aged Bro. Learson, whom he, years since, supposed to be dead, who was formerly a member of the same Baptist church in Denmark, and on their removal to this country, was a member of the same church in Pennsylvania. When they left that place, they lost all trace of each other, Bro. J. going to Wisconsin, and this other individual coming to Greenville. Great was their surprise and joy on meeting, and greater still was Bro. J.'s joy on finding this man already keeping the Sabbath, as the result of reading Bro. Matteson's works. Several others are examining with interest, and are expected soon to take their stand upon it. Bro. J. was present at the meeting Sabbath, and made an interesting and encouraging statement of this commencement of the work among the Danes here. Let us pray that it may progress, and that some from this people may at last join the great multitude which no man can number, out of all nations, and kindred, and peoples and tongues, who will stand before the throne clothed in white robes, and palms in their hands. Oh, the next world! Oh, the heavenly country! What are we saying, brethren, respecting our purpose to enter therein. Do we declare plainly to all around that we are seeking it? Is our conversation in Heaven, from whence we look for the Lord and Saviour? Does our course show that we regard ourselves only as exiles here, working to gain a better state of existence? Or are we content to let our affections, our hopes, our interests, all center here, and we be reckoned among the “dwellers on the earth,” upon whom the great day of the Lord is to come as a thief in the night? A full sacrifice will gain the prize. Nothing short of this will. Let us then make it, that when with song and dance, and palms and harps, and crowns and everlasting joy, the redeemed shall come to Zion, our humble voices, made worthy by the blood of the Lamb, may swell their glad anthem of deliverance. THE BENEVOLENT ASSOCIATION.
By James White
The readiness with which our people took hold of the work, and the zeal they have manifested in it, show that their hearts are in it. It is one of the noblest efforts of Seventh-day Adventists, and we shall find a blessing in it. The duties of God's people to the needy are distinctly pointed out in the word, and great blessings are promised those who do their duty in this direction. In the prosecution of this good work, means will be necessary; but our people should not feel that their work is done when they have put the sum of ten dollars each into the treasury of the Association. The proper appropriation of this means is a more difficult task than the work of raising it. It can be very easily disposed of in a careless manner; but to use it only where actually needed, is a matter that will require care. This is important: first, because our Lord's money should be used according to the mind of the Lord; and second, because if it is applied to unworthy objects, the Lord's needy will be neglected. What is now needed, is a careful and prayerful activity in searching out the wants of the Lord's suffering needy. In a large proportion of such cases, not a dollar is needed from the treasury to help such. This is particularly the case with orphans from five to eighteen years of age. They only need to be placed in those families where they are needed. When I say needed, I do not refer particularly to work. These fatherless and motherless children are needed to bless the dreary homes of those who have no children. True, all such should be taught to bear their weight in the world as far and as fast as possible; but those who have only the idea of work before them, should never think of taking an orphan to their homes. They need to perform a proper amount of labor. Well-directed labor is a part of that education which they need, and which they must have, to lead them to a life of usefulness; but with this they must have care and affection. I said that the fatherless and motherless were needed to bless the homes of the childless. Not, however, as slaves, but to be instructed patiently, and encouraged, in all the duties of this life and in the way of the life to come. This is what many need in their houses to teach them lessons of love and forbearance, that love to all around them, and love to God may naturally abide in their hearts. Those who have no children to bear with, to teach patiently, and to forgive when they do wrong, are in danger of becoming selfish, narrow-souled, and covetous. I say these orphans are just what is needed to cheer and bless many a lonely home. It will be a care, and sometimes a burden and perplexity; but this is just what you need. Those who shun all such responsibilities, never amount to anything in this life, and I am certain they will amount to just nothing in the next. Do to the needy as Christ has done for us. He put himself out, as we say in other matters, to help us. How much he has suffered and borne with us! Are we unwilling to do anything? Last winter we found two fatherless children in Clinton county, who needed homes. They were not extremely destitute. They were active children, and were prospering better than some; but as they were situated, it seemed that certain ruin was before them. Mrs. W. began to talk of taking the girl and proving her, to see if she would bear a recommendation to some family more in need of her. We took her to our house. I began to plead with the brethren at the Review Office to make a printer of the boy; but as there was not much interest taken in him, I plead the harder. It proves that both are a good fit; that is, Mrs. W. never scolds, and if a dish is broken or some other accident occurs, she meets it for the present with "Never mind, and try and be careful the next time." The girl loves her, clings to her, pleads to live with her, and tries with all her power to please her. It is a good fit, because all parties try to make it so.
The boy is delighted with his new home and employment, is cheerful, active, and happy. He needs discipline and care, but is of that turn that with care and kindness he may be made a very useful hand in the Office. Yes, they seem to be a perfect fit. Lois has73been a blessing to us in this way. It has done us so much good to see that our efforts were helping the child. Those who have the care of her brother may, I trust, share the same blessing. These children need not a penny from the poor fund. They earn their way, or can fully do so in a series of years. And this is all the true happiness there is in this world. If you want to see a little hell, enter that family where nobody takes delight in making others happy. But there are just such professed Christians. If they give, it is grudgingly, and they only feel the worse for it. In fact, some have lived so long in this stingy, selfish way, that the thought of others' receiving benefit from what they do, is painful to them. It is time these go to work. There is enough for all to do. We might contribute, and fit up a home for the homeless, in some good location, and put needy orphans in the care of good hands; but this would be attended with great expense, and would serve as an excuse to many who need the care of such at their houses, to do nothing only give ten dollars now and then. We do not need such a home. A thousand little homes among our people should be opened at once, where the needy may find a cheerful welcome. Money is not so much needed at present as homes. In most cases, children and others need only a chance to help themselves. Sr. Hannah More needed a home where she could delight to help herself. For this she was fully capable. Brethren, open your doors and your hearts to the needy. Let your hearts be in the work, and yourselves become better by taking part in it. As I am in need of funds to assist those who need help, unless more convenient to send to Battle Creek, please forward funds for the Benevolent Association to Eld. James White, Greenville, Montcalm Co., Mich. They will be acknowledged in the REVIEW. Prayer doth not consist in the elegance of the phrase, but in the strength of the affection.