Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Sep 30, 1880
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
THE SIN OF MOSES.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
AFTER forty years' wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel encamped at Kadesh, in the desert of Zin; and Miriam died, and was buried there. The living stream which flowed from the smitten rock in Horeb, had followed them in all their journeyings; but just before the Hebrew host reached Kadesh, the Lord caused the waters to cease. It was his purpose again to test his people. He would prove whether they would humbly trust his providence, or imitate their fathers' unbelief and murmuring.
When the thirsting multitude could find no water, they became impatient, and rebellious. They forgot the power of God which had for so many years supplied them with water from the rock, and instead of trusting in their Almighty Leader, they murmured against Moses and Aaron, saying, "Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the Lord!" that is, they wished they had been of the number who were destroyed by the plague in the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.
They angrily inquired, "Why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wilderness, that we and our cattle should die there? And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? it is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink. And Moses and Aaron went from the presence of the assembly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they fell upon their faces; and the glory of the Lord appeared unto them. And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock. So thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink. And Moses took the rod from before the Lord, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock;" but instead of speaking to the rock, as God commanded him, Moses smote it twice with the rod, after exclaiming impatiently, "Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch you water out of this rock?"
Here Moses sinned. He did not ascribe to God the power and glory, and therefore did not magnify him before the people. The Lord, in his infinite mercy, caused the waters to flow, but this did not prove that Moses was right in thus mingling his own spirit with the work of God. Moses here gave unmistakable evidence before the erring, rebellious congregation, that he had lost his patience and self-control. To those who indulge in passion, and fretfulness, this may seem a light matter, but with God it was a grievous offense. It gave the people occasion to question whether his past course had been under the direction of God, and to palliate their own sins. This language was not that which God had put into his mouth, but was spoken from irritated feeling. "Hear now, ye rebels;" this was all true, but the truth, even, should not be spoken to gratify passion or impatience. When God bids Moses charge home upon murmuring Israel their rebellion, the words will be painful to himself, and hard for them to bear; yet God will sustain his servant in the declaration of the most severe and unpalatable truth. But when men take it upon themselves to speak words that sear and wound, God's Spirit is grieved, and great harm is done. The rash act of Moses in smiting the rock, and that rash speech, were an exhibition of human passion, not a holy indignation because God had been dishonored.
The necessity for the manifestation of divine power made the occasion one of great solemnity, and the servants of God should have improved it to make a favorable impression upon the people. But Moses and Aaron were stirred, and in impatience and anger with the people because of their murmurings, they said, "must we fetch you water out of this rock?" thus putting themselves in God's place, as though the power and virtue lay in themselves, men possessing human weakness, and human passions. This was a virtual admission to murmuring Israel that they were correct in charging Moses with leading them from Egypt. The exhibition of self in this intemperate, fitful speech, changed the purpose of God in regard to Moses and Aaron, and excluded them from the promised land. God had forgiven the people greater transgressions than this error on the part of his chosen servants, but he could not regard a sin in the leaders of his people as in those who were led. God is not glorified when men chosen for high responsibilities, mingle their own ways, their own spirit and plans, with his holy work. Men have not wisdom to separate the sacred from the common. The exhibition of self will mar the character of the work, and will result in the ruin of souls.
In the judgment pronounced upon Moses, the Israelites had unmistakable proof that He who had wrought such a wonderful deliverance for them in bringing them from Egyptian bondage, was not Moses, but the mighty Angel who was going before them in all their travels, and of whom the Lord had said, "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice; provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions; for my name is in him." The Lord had committed to Moses the burden of leading his people, while the mighty Angel, even the Son of God, went before them in all their journeyings, and directed their travels. Because they were so ready to forget that God was leading them by his Angel, and to ascribe to man that which God's power alone could perform, he had proved them, and tested them, to see whether they would obey him. At every trial they failed. Instead of believing in, and acknowledging, God, who had strewn their path with evidences of his power, and signal tokens of his care and love, they distrusted him, and ascribed their leaving Egypt to Moses, charging him as the cause of all their disasters.
The Lord would remove this impression forever from their minds, by forbidding Moses to enter the promised land. God had highly exalted Moses. He had revealed to him his great glory. He had taken him into a sacred nearness with himself upon the mount, and had communicated to him, and through him to the people, his will, his statutes, and his laws. The fact that he had been thus exalted and honored of God, made his error of greater magnitude. Moses repented of his sin, and humbled himself greatly before God. He related to all Israel his sorrow for his sin. He did not conceal the sad result, but told the people that for thus failing to ascribe glory to God, he could not lead them to the promised land. He bade the people mark the severe punishment visited upon him for his error, and then consider how God would regard their repeated murmurings in charging upon a mere man the visitations of divine wrath because of their transgressions.
Pure, holy faith cannot be exercised when wrath and passion bear sway in the heart, and control the mind. The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, "ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel." Unbelief was revealed, also, in smiting the rock instead of speaking to it, as though the act of Moses, a blow from the hand of man, must do the work, when only a word was required. This distrust of God, this arrogation of power which belonged to him, was most offensive in his sight, and was visited with the evidence of his displeasure.
The lesson here given us is one of the greatest importance. Men who occupy positions of sacred trust should make a practical application to themselves. The more responsible their position in the cause and work of God, or the more important their trust, the greater the necessity for them to have an eye single to his glory. The more the divine greatness and power and glory is vouchsafed to man, the more should he exhibit of meekness, humility, and trust. Every faculty of the mind should be consecrated to God, and used to promote his glory. He who would be great in the kingdom of God, must cherish unselfish love, in the simplicity of a living faith. This is the gold tried in the fire. The strength of God's great men is in their freedom from self-esteem, from pride, from all jealousy, ambition, and worldly care. The man of God, however exalted his position, will have the spirit of a dependent child, longing for a father's care, and willing to be led by a father's hand.
A FABLE.
THE Rabbi Judah, so the scribes relate,
Sat with his brethren once in warm debate
About those things which each considered best
To bring on each immunity and rest.
Then said the one requested to begin,
"Rest comes from wealth, if there be peace within."
The second said, "It springs from honest fame,
And having all men magnify your name."
The third said, "Rest is being truly great,
Coupled with power to rule some mighty State."
The fourth said, "Such a rest as we presage
Reaches man only in extremest age,
When wealth, and power, and fame, unite to go
To children—and unto their children flow."
The fifth said, "All these various things are vain;
Rest comes to those who all the law maintain."
Then said the Rabbi Judah, grave and old,
The tallest of the group with him enrolled,
"You all speak wisely, but no rest is deep
To him who the traditions fails to keep."
Now spake a fair-haired boy up from the grass—
A boy of twelve—who heard these words repass,
And dropped the lilies from his slender hands,
"Nay, father, none among you understands.
True rest he only finds who evermore
Looks not behind, but to the things before;
Who, scorning fame, and power, and home, and pelf,
Loveth his brother as he loves himself."
Rules for Public Prayer
By Congregationalist
Don't pray at people; scolding isn't praying, and it never does less good than when it is foisted into a prayer, and the scolded think you are telling the Lord that about them which you do not dare to say to their faces. Don't talk with the Lord as you would chat with your neighbor; true prayer is reverent. Don't ramble all over the universe; you'll not get back in time. Don't try to get everything into one prayer; you will most likely have another chance. Don't pray so long as to tire out all the hearers; that isn't the meaning of the commands to "pray always," and to "pray without ceasing;" and you can safely leave some petitions to be offered when alone in your closet. Don't pray in public, if you are prayerless in secret; such prayer prevails neither with God nor man. Pray "in the Holy Ghost."
Three Christian Desires Concerning Sin
THERE are three things which the true Christian desires with respect to sin: justification, that it may not condemn; sanctification, that it may not reign; and glorification, that it may not be.
GOD'S ANSWERS TO MAN'S EXCUSES FOR NOT KEEPING HIS SABBATH.
By James White
EXCUSE 1. It is inconvenient to keep the seventh day.
ANSWER. (Matt. 7:13, 14.) "Enter ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat; because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Prov. 11:21; 16:5; Ex. 23:2.
EXCUSE 4. Many learned men teach that it is right.
ANSWER. (Hos. 10:13.) "Ye have ploughed wickedness, ye have reaped iniquity; ye have eaten the fruit of lies; because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mighty men." 1 Cor. 1:25-27; Rev. 18:23.
EXCUSE 5. We are unlearned and must look to them for instruction.
ANSWER. (Prov. 19:27.) "Cease, my son to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge." 2 Tim. 3:1-7.
ANSWER. (Luke 12:51, 52.) "Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, nay; but rather division; for from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three." Verse 49; Matt. 10:34-37; John 15:19; 17:14; 1 Kings 18:17, 18.
EXCUSE 8. I shall lose my influence and bring reproach.
ANSWER. (Matt. 5:11, 12.) "Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad; for great is your reward in Heaven; for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." Luke 6:22, 23, 26; 1 John 4:5.
EXCUSE 9. It makes no difference what day I keep, if I keep it right.
ANSWER. (Ex. 20:9, 10.) "Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." Matt. 15:3, 9. To keep any day right is to keep it as God's law directs; otherwise, his law is not right. To keep every day right, is to work on the first six, and rest on the seventh.
EXCUSE 10. I am afraid of new doctrines.
ANSWER. (Ex. 20:11.) "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day, wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." Gen. 2:2, 3.
EXCUSE 11. I do not think these old laws are binding.
ANSWER. (Jer. 6:16.) "Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see and ask for the old paths, where is the good way and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls." Chap. 2:11-13; 18:15.
EXCUSE 12. The apostle teaches that old things are passed away.
ANSWER. (2 Cor. 5:17.) "Therefore, if any man be in Christ he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold all things are become new." The "old man of sin" must pass away. Then the man becomes new—not the law. 2 Tim. 3:16, 17; "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works."
Prov. 30:5, 6: "Every word of God is pure; he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar."
Eccl. 12:13, 14: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good or whether it be evil."
Rev. 22:14: "Blessed are they that do His commandments that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city."
BIBLE REASONS FOR THE SEVENTH DAY AND THE CLAIMS OF FIRST-DAY CONTRASTED.
God claimed the seventh day as his own in many scriptures, and at many different times. He never so claimed the first day but gave it to man for labor.
He blessed and sanctified the seventh day. He neither blessed nor sanctified the first day.
He commanded that the seventh day be kept holy. He never commanded to keep the first day. There is but one commandment in the Bible for a weekly Sabbath, and that says the seventh day.
God uttered fearful threatenings against those who profane the seventh day. He has spoken nothing against laboring on the first day.
He has given great and precious promises to those who keep holy the seventh day. He has not spoken one word of promise or blessing for keeping the first day.
Everything that is necessary to give importance to the day—that is calculated to induce a proper observance of the day—is produced in favor of the seventh day. But nothing of this kind can be produced in favor of the first day—no sanctity, no commandment, no penalty, no blessing.
WHO CHANGED THE SABBATH?
By J. D. Rice
MANY affirm that the Sabbath was changed by Christ or his apostles, at his resurrection. When pressed for their authority from the Scriptures, they acknowledge they have none to give. And why? Because there is none to be found. No prophet has foretold any such change; no New Testament writer has recorded any such. Yet ministers of the gospel (?) will stand before their congregations, and say it has been thus changed, and tell people they need not keep "the Sabbath day according to the commandment," but that it is their duty to keep the first day of the week instead, when there is no command for it from Genesis to Revelation. Is this doing and teaching every jot and tittle of the law? Matt. 5:17-19.
But, say they, the law has been changed, and therefore they must have changed it. What a conclusion! and yet it is actually urged. Do they think Satan has been asleep all this time? Do they forget that that "mystery of iniquity" (lawlessness) already worked in Paul's day? that he says, "also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them?" 2 Thess. 2:7; Acts 20:28-31; 2 Pet. 2:1-3. Perhaps through these influences the change has been made.
It was prophesied of Christ that he should "magnify the law and make it honorable." Isa. 42:21. Is it honored and magnified by being cast aside as a despised object, or changed as though it were imperfect? Does it really change an object in the least to magnify it? Does it not simply show up the different parts more clearly? David desired that the law should be magnified when he prayed, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." Ps. 119:18.
Speaking of himself, through the psalmist, Christ says, "I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart." Ps. 40:6-8; Heb. 10:4-7. He taught that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh." Matt. 12:34, 35. And he practiced what he preached. For, from his heart in which was the Father's law, proceeded those memorable words of his sermon upon the mount, when he declared that he came not to destroy the law, and that not one jot or tittle should pass from it till Heaven and earth should pass; not the smallest fragment perish, or the least item be changed, through any work of his. Matt. 5:17-19.
Who in the face of this will continue to say that he did change it, or authorized his disciples to do so, which would virtually be the same thing? Modesty suggests that we contend not with the Saviour, but believe his words. "Hear ye him," is the command of the Father. Matt. 17:5. But there is a power noted in prophecy just Heaven-daring enough to think to make this change in the law of the Most High. See Dan. 7:25. All the specifications of the prophecy require, and Protestant commentators are generally agreed, that this power represents the Papacy. He is to think to change certain "times and laws." They are the laws of Him against whom he was to speak his "great words and blasphemies," and to whom the saints, that he was to "wear out," belong. All human laws he has been able to change at pleasure, but they can only think or presume to change God's law; for as long as God lives and reigns, so long will his authority stand supreme. And though the "man of sin" may set up a different code, thinking to change the laws of Heaven, and get many to accept the change, and follow him in his rebellion, as the devil did in his, yet when the "Judge of all the earth" shall sit to judge us "by the law according to the gospel," Rom. 2:12-16; James 2:12; Eccl. 12:13, 14, it will be by the law of Heaven, and not by that law as changed by rebellious creatures.
Now Catholics acknowledge that they are guilty of changing the law of God, as predicted by the prophet. They boast of having changed the Sabbath, and set it forth as a mark or sign of their authority to legislate instead of God—to command feasts, and holy days, under sin. See their "Decretalia," and "Abridgement of Christian Doctrine."423
Speaking of this change, in their "Doctrinal Catechism," pp. 101, 174, they say it is "a change for which there is no Scriptural authority." In "Catholic Christian Instructed," p. 200, we read:—
"Ques. What warrant have you for keeping the Sunday, preferable to the ancient Sabbath, which was the Saturday?
"Ans. We have for it the authority of the Catholic church and Apostolic tradition."
We might present much more evidence from them, if it were necessary, and space permitted, but they boastingly acknowledge that they have made the change, and claim that they have the right to do so. Well authenticated history comes forward and bears an additional testimony to the guilt of this law changing power, and shows the prophecy to be true. It shows how the pagan festival of Sunday, after a struggle for a few centuries finally usurped the place of God's holy Sabbath day.
Let it not be forgotten that this was during the time of that "falling away," spoken of by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:3, 7, caused by the working of that "mystery of iniquity," which was to speak those "perverse things" to draw away disciples. Acts 20:28-31. It was when those pagans were swarming into the church, and it sought for popularity and the favor of the civil rulers, and it is not much to be wondered at that the pagans should bring their Sunday festival along with them into the church, especially as they were so opposed to the Jews, who, with the true Christian converts, strictly adhered to the Lord's holy day.
Dr. Neander, the great church historian, bears the following testimony upon this point: "Opposition to Judaism introduced the particular festival of Sunday, very early indeed, into the place of the Sabbath. . . . The festival of Sunday, like all other festivals, was always only a human ordinance, and it was far from the intention of the apostles to establish a divine command in this respect—far from them and the early apostolic church, to transfer the laws of the Sabbath to Sunday. Perhaps at the end of the second century, a false application of this kind begun to take place; for men appear by that time to have considered laboring on Sunday a sin." Church Hist., p. 168. See also Hist. of the Sabbath, by J. N. Andrews.
But we need not go to history to prove that Sunday keeping is one of the innovations of God's truth, and is one of the "perverse things" taught, for God has given us the rule by which all doctrine is to be tested and corrected. Says the prophet: "To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them." Isa. 8:20.
That is very plain, and needs no comment. Again, in 2 Tim. 3:16, 17, we read, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Thus we see that all doctrine should be brought to the test of the Scriptures. "The words of the Lord are pure words; as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." They are "tried words." "Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Ps. 12:6; 18:30; Prov. 30:5, 6.
Where in the word of the Lord does it say that we should keep Sunday, and transgress his law, which says, "Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy;" "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God," etc. Ex. 20:8-11. It is not contained therein; but it is a commandment of men, handed down by tradition. Beware how you "transgress the commandment of God by your tradition," and teach "for doctrines the commandments of men" (Matt. 15:3-9), and accuse the Son of God as having made the change, which has been made through the working of that "mystery of iniquity," by that blasphemous power, the Papacy. J. D. RICE.
GEORGE WHITEFIELD'S REMINDER.
George Whitefield stopped at one time in a certain town in the house of a general who treated him very kindly. Whitefield, as his custom was, intended to speak to the family individually about the gospel of Christ, but Satan said, "Now, George, don't say a word to these good people, it will grieve them; they have been so kind to you. Why, you cannot tell the general, 'except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God;' they would be too harsh words to address to such a man as that. And you cannot talk to the wife and daughters concerning things of the kingdom. See how kind they have been to you! The warning will not come well from one who has been so much obliged to them as you." And no doubt the flesh a little aided the temptation, so that when Whitefield retired to rest that night he had not spoken to any of the persons of the house according to his usual wont. This troubled him.
The Lord visited him by night, and said to him, "Thou art my servant, and yet thou hast not done my work," and conscience whispered, "These people have been kind to you; is it not great unkindness not to warn them of the wrath to come?" And then the Spirit said, "You dare not leave this place until you have addressed to them a word that might be blessed to their souls." But still the flesh was strong, and George did not dare say a word. However, when the flesh failed, God came in and directed his servant's mind. Whitefield happened to have a diamond ring in his possession at the time, with which he wrote upon the window-pane, "But one thing thou lackest," and, having prayed much about it, he went his way.
No sooner had he gone than the master of the house entered the room where the good man had slept. The first thing that struck the general's eye was this writing on the window-pane—"But one thing thou lackest." The thought flashed across his mind—"Then this holy man of God loves my soul; I thought that he did not love it, for he said not a word to me about it. It appears that he does. Wife," said he, "come here and see what is on that window." "Yes," said she, "depend upon it, he has been unhappy in our house. We have done the best we could to make him comfortable, but because we don't love the Lord, he has been disturbed and unhappy." The Spirit of God was at work in their hearts; they were convinced of the truth of that sentence, "One thing thou lackest." "Call up the children," said the father. And the son and the three daughters came, and, strange to tell, the whole of them were brought to contrition of heart for sin at the sight of that text. Round the bed the whole family knelt—six of them—and bowed their knees, confessing their sins, and rose up believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. A member of the church at present under the care of Dr. Thomas Armitage, of New York, has now in her possession the very pane of glass on which Whitefield wrote the words, and she tells the story of how her mother was one of those daughters who were thus converted to the Saviour.
THE SABBATH DAY.
In the Liberator of April, 1831, was published from the pen of Wm. L. Garrison, the following sonnet on the "Sabbath Day."
FAINT prototype of Heaven, blest Sabbath day!
Emblem of an eternal rest to come,
Emancipator from vile Mammon's sway,
At whose approach a noisy world is dumb;
Unerring regulator, sacred pledge;
Best friend and soother of the poor and weak
A resting place in our drear pilgrimage,
Where soul and body may refreshment seek.
If thou wert blotted out, our moral sun,
The huge eclipse would dress the world in gloom;
Confusion dire would seize on every one,
And peace, love, order, find a hasty tomb.
Then would oppression reign, then lust rebel,
Then violence abound, and earth resemble hell!
THE SKEPTICAL SHOEMAKER.
"I HAVE read," said the shoemaker, "a good deal about the heathen gods, and I believe the account of Christ is taken from some of the heathen writings or other."
"Will you abide by your own decision on two questions that I will put to you?" said the Bible-reader. "If so, I will freely do the same. I will abide by your answers; by doing so we shall save much time, and arrive quicker at the truth."
"Well," said he, "out with it, and let us see if I can answer; there are but few things but what I can say something about."
"Well, my friend," replied the reader, "my first question is, Suppose all men were Christians, according to the account given to us in the gospels concerning Christ, what would be the state of society?"
He remained silent for some time in deep thought, and then was constrained to say, "Well, if all men were really Christians, in practice as well as theory, of course we should be a happy brotherhood indeed."
"I promised you," said the reader, "that I would abide by your answer; will you do the same?"
"Oh, yes," he readily replied; "no man can deny the goodness of the system in practice; but now for the other question."
"Well, my question is this, Suppose all men were infidels, what then would be the state of London and of the world?" He seemed still more perplexed, and remained a long time silent, the reader doing the same.
At length he said, "You certainly have beaten me, for I never before saw the two effects upon society; I now see that where the Christian builds up, the infidel is pulling down. I thank you; I shall think of what has passed this afternoon."
The sequel was that he was fully persuaded in his own mind to give up all his infidel companions and follow the Lord Jesus Christ. But the change did not stop here. When first the reader called he had to sit on an old, dirty chair, with a number of half-starved children sitting in their rags on the floor around him, neglected and uncared for; now they have removed to a better home in a cleaner street. Within, all is cheerful and happy. The father, no longer faithless, delights in the company of his wife and children, all of whom are, neatly dressed; and his chief happiness is to read and to speak to them of the things which belong to their everlasting peace.
"Where the Christian builds the infidel pulls down," Why is this? The fact cannot be denied. Infidel France wrote, "Death is an eternal sleep" above her cemeteries, and then tore down civilization and quenched the light of humanity in seas of blood. And French communists, in 1871, while arresting ecclesiastics and describing them as "servants of a person called God," dug down the foundations of law, order, peace, and truth, and with fire and sword destroyed their fellow-men by thousands, and made the streets of Paris red with blood.
The fruits of Christianity are as precious as those of infidelity are vile. Where the precepts of Christ have sway, war is unknown; robbery, dishonesty, intemperance, violence, and lust are forbidden; and under their benign influence, property is secure; life is sacred; poverty is provided for; sickness is pitied; infancy is nurtured; old age is revered; womanhood is cherished; and manhood is ennobled. Such are the fruits of true Christianity;—and infidel virtues mostly spring from Christian roots. Skepticism cannot blot out a father's godly counsels or a mother's fervent prayers. And as a result there are often traces of Christian principle where there is no Christian practice, who have as plenty of people who practice infidelity while they profess Christianity. Do not be deceived by names or professions. Set genuine infidelity, and genuine Christianity side by side; watch their fruits and take your choice.—The Christian.
THE ART OF SILENCE.
A CONTEMPORARY says that the art of all others which most needs cultivation is the art of good speaking. We differ. The art of all others which most needs cultivation is the art of silence. There is nothing like the man, or woman, that can keep the month shut. Not that people should always keep the tongue still (it is made for use), but there are times when silence is the best and most effective reply. When a boor speaks roughly, or uncivilly to you, when you are asked an impertinent question, when a sneer is conveyed under cover of an inquiry for information, or when, having appealed to you on a question of taste, your opinion is met with ridicule,—the best answer in these, or like exigencies, is a masterful silence.
Silence bespeaks reserve power, conscious strength, dignity, self-command; and nothing is at times so effective as the silence which springs from contempt. The man or woman who can endure reproach silently, or can keep silent when occasion calls for it, possesses something of that quality we call greatness. So the Master was silent before inquisitive Pilate: “He opened not his mouth;” and amid scoffing, and jeers, and taunts, he kept silence, only broken on the cross to bestow benediction and blessing. There is a time to be silent, as well as to talk, and he does well who keeps closed lips before the babbling of the empty soul. Cultivate the habit of silence, and do not defer it till the time comes when the lips shall nevermore speak, and the busy tongue shall be stilled forever.—Christian at Work.
WATCHING ONE'S SELF.
"When I was a boy," said an old man, "we had a school-master who had an odd way of catching idle boys. One day he called out to us, 'Boys, I must have closer attention to your books. The first one that sees another idle, I want you to inform me, and I will attend to the case.'"
"Ah! thought I to myself, there is Joe Simmons that I don't like. I'll watch him, and if I see him look off his book, I'll tell. It was not long before I saw Joe look off his book, and immediately I informed the master."
"Indeed!" said he. "How did you know he was idle?"
"I saw him," said I.
"You did? and were your eyes on your book when you saw him?"
"I was caught, and I never watched for idle boys again."
If we are sufficiently watchful over our own conduct, we shall have no time to find fault with the conduct of others.—Sel.
The Noblest Remedy for Calumny
"If anyone speaks ill of thee," said Epictitus, "consider whether he has truth on his side; if so, reform thyself that his censures may not affect thee." When Anaximander was told that the very boys laughed at his singing, "Ay," said he, "then I must learn to sing better." Plato, being told that he had many enemies who spoke ill of him, said, "It is no matter; I will live so that none shall believe them." Hearing at another time that an intimate friend of his had spoken detractively of him, he said: "I am sure he would not do it if he had not some reason for it." This is the surest, as well as the noblest way of drawing the sting out of a reproach, and the true method of preparing a man for that great and only relief against the pains of calumny—a good conscience.—Sel.
REFINED.
To be refined means not to be overnice. Refinement is not luxury. It is nothing of this kind, it is far removed from excess or waste. A person truly refined will not squander or needlessly consume anything. Refinement is always closely united with simplicity, and a tasteful employment of the means of good which it has at command. Refinement leads to personal cleanliness, neatness, good taste, and simplicity in dress. At home, whether elegant or humble, the same neatness abounds. The refined person and the mere pretender are very different. In the former you will find no gaudiness or false glittering, but with the latter these abound. In personal manners, refinement is most conspicuous. A lady of refinement is always polite without ostentation. There is no refinement like that of the heart, which bids us show a kind regard to the feelings of others.