Earlier text: The Primary Cause of IntemperanceThe First Migrations of the Goths.
By A. T. J.
“I. The decisive battle was fought near Naisus, a city of Dardania [Nissa, in Servia]. The legions at first gave way, oppressed by numbers, and dismayed by misfortunes. Their ruin was inevitable, had not the abilities of their emperor prepared a seasonable relief. A large detachment, rising out of the secret and difficult passes of the mountains, which, by his order, they had occupied, suddenly assailed the rear of the victorious Goths. The favorable instant was improved by the activity of Claudius. He revived the courage of his troops, restored their ranks, and pressed the barbarians on every side. Fifty thousand men are reported to have been slain in the battle of Naisus. Several large bodies of barbarians, covering their retreat with a movable fortification of wagons, retired, or rather escaped, from the field of slaughter. “II. We may presume that some insurmountable difficulty, the fatigue, perhaps, or the disobedience, of the conquerors, prevented Claudius from completing in one day the destruction of the Goths. The war was diffused over the provinces of Mæsia, Thrace, and Macedonia, and its operations drawn out into a variety of marches, surprises, and tumultuary engagements, as well by sea as by land. When the Romans suffered any loss, it was commonly occasioned by their own cowardice or rashness; but the superior talents of the emperor, his perfect knowledge of the country, and his judicious choice of measures as well as officers, assured on most occasions the success of his arms. The immense booty, the fruit of so many victories, consisted for the greater part of cattle and slaves. A select body of the Gothic youth was received among the Imperial troops; the remainder was sold into servitude; and so considerable was the number of female captives that every soldier obtained to his share two or three women. A circumstance from which we may conclude that the invaders entertained some designs of settlement as well as of plunder; since even in a naval expedition they were accompanied by their families. “III. The loss of their fleet, which was either taken or sunk, had intercepted the retreat of the Goths. A vast circle of Roman posts, distributed with skill, supported with firmness, and gradually closing toward a common center, forced the barbarians into the most inaccessible parts of Mount Hæmus, where they found a safe refuge, but a very scanty subsistence. During the course of a rigorous winter, in which they were besieged by the emperor’s troops, famine and pestilence, desertion and the sword, continually diminished the imprisoned multitude. On the return of spring [A. D. 270], nothing appeared in arms except a hardy and desperate band, the remnant of that mighty host which had embarked at the mouth of the Dniester. “The pestilence which swept away such numbers of the barbarians at length proved fatal to their conqueror. After a short but glorious reign of two years, Claudius expired at Sirmium [near Murovic in S. E. Slavonia], amidst the tears and acclamations of his subjects. In his last illness he convened the principal officers of the State and army, and in their presence recommended Aurelian, one of his generals, as the most deserving of the throne, and the best qualified to execute the great design which he himself had been permitted only to undertake.” “The death of Claudius had revived the fainting spirit of the Goths. The troops which guarded the passes of Mount Hæmus and the banks of the Danube, had been drawn away by the apprehension of a civil war; and it seems probable that the remaining body of the Gothic and Vandalic tribes embraced the favorable opportunity, abandoned their settlements of the Ukraine, traversed the rivers, and swelled with new multitudes the destroying host of their countrymen. Their united numbers were at length encountered by Aurelian, and the bloody and doubtful conflict ended only with the approach of night. Exhausted by so many calamities, which they had mutually endured and inflicted during a twenty years’ war, the Goths and the Romans consented to a lasting and beneficial treaty. It was earnestly solicited by the barbarians, and cheerfully ratified by the legions, to whose suffrage the prudence of Aurelian referred the decision of that important question. The Gothic nation engaged to supply the armies of Rome with a body of two thousand auxiliaries, consisting entirely of cavalry, and stipulated in return an undisturbed retreat, with a regular market as far as the Danube, provided by the emperor’s care, but at their own expense. “The treaty was observed with such religious fidelity, that, when a party of five hundred men straggled from the camp in quest of plunder, the king or general of the barbarians commanded that the guilty leader should be apprehended and shot to death with darts, as a victim devoted to the sanctity of their engagements. It is, however, not unlikely that the precaution of Aurelian, who had exacted as hostages the sons and daughters of the Gothic chiefs, contributed something to this pacific temper. The youths he trained in the exercise of arms, and near his own person; to the damsels he gave a liberal and Roman education, and, by bestowing them in marriage on some of his principal officers, gradually introduced between the two nations the closest and most endearing connections. But the most important condition of peace was understood rather than expressed in the treaty. Aurelian withdrew the Roman forces from Dacia, and tacitly relinquished that great province to the Goths and Vandals.”—Dec. and Fall, chap. 11, par. 10, 11, 16. This treaty was faithfully observed, and peace between the Goths and the Romans was enjoyed under its provisions for about fifty years, down to about the fourteenth year of the reign of Constantine, A. D. 320. But then we read:— “The Goths, who in the time of Claudius and Aurelian had felt the weight of the Roman arms, respected the power of the empire, even in the midst of its intestine divisions. But the strength of that warlike nation was now restored by a peace of near fifty years; a new generation had arisen, who no longer remembered the misfortunes of ancient days; the Sarmatians of the Lake Mæotis followed the Gothic standard either as subjects or as allies, and their united force was poured upon the countries of Illyricum. Campona, Margus, and Bononia appear to have been the scene of several memorable sieges and battles; and though Constantine encountered a very obstinate resistance, he prevailed at length in the contest, and the Goths were compelled to purchase an ignominious retreat, by restoring the booty and prisoners which they had taken. Nor was this advantage sufficient to satisfy the indignation of the emperor. He resolved to chastise as well as to repulse the insolent barbarians who had dared to invade the territories of Rome. At the head of his legions he passed the Danube, after repairing the bridge which had been constructed by Trajan, penetrated into the strongest recesses of Dacia, and, when he had inflicted a severe revenge, condescended to give peace to the suppliant Goths, on condition that, as often as they were required, they should supply his armies with a body of forty thousand soldiers.”—Id., Chap. 14, par. 35. The peace thus granted by Constantine to the Goths continued till A. D. 331. In the meantime the Goths, in the endeavor to extend their power to the North, were resisted by the Sarmatians, and a bloody war among these barbarous nations was the result. “After some experience of the superior strength and numbers of their adversaries, the Sarmatians implored the protection of the Roman monarch, who beheld with pleasure the discord of the nations, but who was justly alarmed by the progress of the Gothic arms. As soon [A. D. 331] as Constantine had declared himself in favor of the weaker party, the haughty Alaric, king of the Goths, instead of expecting the attack of the legions, boldly passed the Danube, and spread terror and devastation through the province of Mæsia. To oppose the inroad of this destroying host, the aged emperor took the field in person; but on this occasion either his conduct or his fortune betrayed the glory which he had acquired in so many foreign and domestic wars. He had the mortification of seeing his troops fly before an inconsiderable detachment of the barbarians, who pursued them to the edge of their fortified camp, and obliged him to consult his safety by a precipitate and ignominious retreat. “The event of a second and more successful action [A. D. 332, April 20] retrieved the honor of the Roman name, and the powers of art and discipline prevailed, after an obstinate contest, over the efforts of irregular valor. The broken army of the Goths abandoned the field of battle, the wasted province, and the passage of the Danube. . . . The Goths, vanquished on every side, were driven into the mountains, where, in the course of a severe campaign, above one hundred thousand were computed to have perished by cold and hunger. Peace was at length granted to their humble supplications; the eldest son of Alaric was accepted as the most valuable hostage; and Constantine endeavored to convince their chiefs, by a liberal distribution of honors and rewards, how far the friendship of the Romans was preferable to their enmity.”—Id., chap. 18, par. 13, 14. No TRUE life ever was a failure. It may not have been spent in the performance of what the world esteems great and noble deeds; and, according to the world's estimate, it may not have been a success. But any life spent in the faithful performance of the duties of the position in which God has placed it, is a noble life, and will receive from him the highest commendation. It is not the kind of work we are called to do, but the spirit in which we engage in it, and the manner in which we perform it, that gives character and importance to our acts. The meanest service performed in a proper spirit for Christ, in his estimation is sublime. Or if, in the providence of God, we are deprived of the privilege of doing, and are called only to suffer, if we patiently endure as seeing Him who is invisible, under the discipline of suffering our own characters will be ennobled, our example and influence felt for good, and the sufficiency of divine grace magnified, and life, at last, instead of being a failure, will prove a grand success. We should not regard our position, whatever it may be, as insignificant and unimportant. No position is insignificant in which a man may serve and honor God. Whatever our calling may be, we should regard it as a high calling in Christ Jesus. What we do we should do as unto the Lord. A life spent in his service, in any way, is a noble life, and will lead to an exalted end.—Sel. Against the New Religious Skepticism
By N. Y. Observer
Here and in all this vicinity, the men who have builded strong and well, and who are now building with the best evidences of permanent success, are men who have no welcome whatever for the old skepticisms which are put forth as the “discoveries” of “religious progress.” SINS OF OMISSION.
By D. Hildreth
"Beware that there be not a thought in thy wicked heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and thine eye be evil against thy poor brother, and thou givest him naught; and he cry unto the Lord against thee, and it be sin unto thee." Deut. 15: 9. "Thou shalt not oppress an hired servant that is poor and needy. . . . At his day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it; for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it; lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin unto thee." Deut. 24: 14, 15. "Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof, because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty." Judges 5: 23. "Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way." 1 Sam. 12: 23. "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Matt. 23: 23; Heb. 2: 1-3. James' conclusion: "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin." Chap. 4: 17. These are only examples. The word abounds with testimony on this subject. If the idle words, foolish thoughts, vain actions of only a single year should be written out before us, what a huge scroll it would be! What a catalogue of sin and folly! We should not want to look at it the second time. The heart would sicken, and the head would faint. But it is nevertheless the fact that a faithful record of these things is kept in the archives of Heaven, and nothing will blot it out but the blood of Christ in answer to our prayers and confessions. There is no safety outside the provisions of the gospel, therefore turn ye to the Lord and live. Popish Convents in America.
AFTER relating how the convents were suppressed in Italy, Dowling, in his History of Romanism, makes the following appeal to Americans. We wish it might be read by every one who thinks that the encroachments of Romanism are but the harmless advances of a branch of the Christian church:— "Is it not enough to make the very blood of an American father or brother boil with indignation to think that hundreds of daughters and sisters of America are, at this moment, immured in these gloomy prison-houses, many of them, doubtless, pining and longing for their liberty; and yet that there is no one out of the Romish Church that has the legal right of access to them, however nearly related, and no law which establishes the right even of inspection and inquiry as to the treatment of these helpless females? Does any one doubt that many of such young persons, probably induced to enter these institutions at a time of life when their judgment is feeble and their imagination strong, are compelled to remain against their will? That few of them would remain if permitted to exercise free volition, is a certainty founded on all we know of human nature. It is useless to argue about it. The situation of these women is utterly unnatural, and must be intolerably irksome until the enfeebled mind loses its power to struggle against misery. Moreover, a number of nuns have, from time to time, escaped. Alas! that this word should, in this country, be the only one applicable to the departure of a woman from a house where she has been kept without legal authority. The story told by these is invariably the same. They all have become disgusted with convent life; they all have been eagerly desirous of departure; they all have been carefully watched by their keepers; and they all declare that many, unable to escape, are pining miserably in their cloisters. "Supposing that the real purpose of these houses is religious,—admitting all that the priests would have us believe of their own superhuman purity,—yet it is horrible that women should be kept in these places after they have found their mistake in going into them. What ground can the priests have for retaining them when no longer nuns at heart? Is it not apparent that if all was right in these places the priests would expel every woman whom they found apostate in soul? Is it reasonable to suppose that they would detain by force, as a bride of the Deity, a young woman whose heart was utterly unfaithful to her vows? It is plain enough that the priests have other than religious views and maxims in relation to convents. Much also has been revealed of the abominations practiced in these places. It has been proclaimed to the world, upon the authority of Catholics themselves, that houses of religion where young women are under the control of Catholic priests are liable to be perverted into places of shocking licentiousness and most unmitigated despotism over the hearts, minds, and persons of the nuns. In Catholic countries, again and again, ecclesiastical authorities, as we have shown, have searched into these matters, and proclaimed the horrible wickedness of the nunneries; and in our own country, now and then, a wretched woman has contrived to make known to the American people the fact that foreign ecclesiastics are repeating, in the convents, the conduct charged upon them in Europe. "It is not at all necessary to adduce individual instances, however easy the task, in order to confirm suspicion of the wrong done to American women in convents. No body of men would be likely to have unrestrained power over women without abusing it; and of all men, the Catholic priests, from the nature of their relation to society, are the least likely to be blameless under these circumstances. When opportunity is continual, restraint unfelt, secrecy secured, exposure fully guarded against, it needs no record to inform us of the consequence. "These women are not under the protection of the law. The law has no knowledge of them; they have no access to it, except at the will of those, who keep the keys of their prisons. The law provides that a wife shall have protection against her husband. She may at any time go before a magistrate and make complaint against him, and the magistrate will do her justice, even though he should send the husband to prison. The father has not uncontrolled authority over the daughter. The law shields her against harshness. Were it known that a husband kept his wife locked up, or a father his daughter, an officer of the law would soon inquire into the cause. The woman would have leave to speak, and to speak to those able and ready to redress her wrongs. The State itself is not at liberty to keep a female in prison without permitting inspection by the grand jury, that great vigilance committee, which always watches over personal liberty and right. But what a husband may not do, what a father may not do, what the State may not do, is freely accorded to foreign priests that we know not of, except that in the land whence they came men's hearts are sick and their souls weary because of them. The priests may keep the nuns locked up, nobody interferes; they may offer them the grossest insults, inflict upon them the utmost outrage, and the poor victim cannot make complaint. No grand jury enters these portals, which, once closed upon the nuns, shut them in from all the devices of society for the protection of person. When a nun is removed, nobody knows it; when she dies, nobody necessarily knows it—there are no coroners' inquests in nunneries. Are such places as these suitable abodes for the daughters and sisters of American freemen? "American convents, awed into at least an appearance of decency by the Protestant sentiment of the country, may throw a more impenetrable vail of concealment over their dark proceedings; but human nature is the same everywhere; their character is the same; no less than Italian convents are they all dark prison-houses, to those who enter them, of slavery, misery, corruption, and despair. Strange that they should ever exist in these free and enlightened United States! Stranger still that they should sometimes grow and flourish through the patronage and support of Protestant Americans! But, strangest of all, that American politicians should sell themselves to Rome, and buy Catholic votes with subsidies drawn from the pockets of Protestant tax-payers to these un-American, popish institutions!" THE idea has obtained that there are degrees of sin all the way from murder, for instance, down to nothing; that certain actions, though not really proper, are not worthy the notice of God. If some case is mentioned, the reply will be, "O, that's nothing, such little sins are not worth minding." The careless reader is here requested to pause and point out one place in the Bible that speaks of "little sins"—"sins not worth minding," or anything like it. When degrees of comparison are used, sin is always called great, grievous, etc. David says, "O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great." Ps. 25:11. The Bible throughout holds up sin in its true deformity. No one ever prayed in the Spirit to have his sins pardoned because they were small. It is true that there are degrees of sin, yet no sin is really small. Any act which is a transgression of the law, however small it may appear to men, is sufficient to condemn the transgressor to death, unless he obtains pardon. For instance, it is supposed to be very innocent to tell a clever falsehood for the sake of playing a trick on another. This is not lying; O, no! it is only sport. It is thought to be quite harmless to joke, tell stories, play all manner of games, and have all the fun and sport possible. It is supposed to be nobody's business how much the mind is occupied with foolish thoughts. It is even looked upon as commendable to get the best end of a bargain by shrewdness and misrepresentation. There are a thousand such things as these that are looked upon as of no importance. But the just demands of an abused law will stare transgressors in the face by and by. Scripture testimony will now be produced, and if this meets the eye of any careless one, let him remember that the following passages of Scripture, and others of like import, will stand in array against the sinner at the great Judgment day. Many things that are supposed to be of no importance are particularly mentioned in the Bible. Idle words. "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment." Matt. 12:36. Foolish thoughts. "The thought of foolishness is sin." Prov. 24:9. "An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin." Prov. 21:4. "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin." James 2:9. "As a mad man who casteth firebrands, arrows, and death, so is the man that deceiveth his neighbor, and saith, Am not I in sport?" Prov. 26:18, 19. Paul's conclusion: "Whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Rom. 14:23. Items from the General Conference.
WE present the following resolutions and recommendations which were acted upon at the General Conference, in addition to those published last week. They are of general interest, as indicating the condition and progress of our work:— 9. Resolved, That we hereby indorse the standing rule of our Sabbath-school Associations in regard to taking offerings on the Sabbath, for the following reasons: (1) It trains our young to the habit of giving; (2) If appropriated, not merely for school expenses, but, as is now being done in some places, in part for missionary work, it cultivates a missionary spirit in the children; (3) It is in harmony with the Lord's will as expressed in the law, when more offerings were made on the Sabbath than on any other day; (4) It is in harmony with the light given to us as a people. And— 10. Resolved, That the same principles apply to the subject of donations on the fourth Sabbath of the month, which day is devoted to the missionary work; and we recommend that they be so taken. 11. Resolved, That in view of the uncertainty of the times, and the danger of depositing money where we can have no idea of its security, we recommend that our Conferences east of the Rocky Mountains deposit their surplus funds in the office of the Review and Herald, and those west of the mountains deposit the same with the office of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. 12. Resolved, That our denominational hymn book be the property of the General Conference, and that all profits which arise from its publication be devoted to the support of missions. 16. Resolved, That we recommend that the President of the General Conference visit the Pacific Coast Conferences during the months of April and May, 1886, and that he arrange his visit so as to attend the annual meeting of the Pacific S. D. A. Publishing Association and of the Healdsburg College. 17. Resolved, That we recommend that Elder S. N. Haskell return to this country in season to attend the May camp-meetings. The Hymn Book Committee submitted the following report:— Your Committee appointed to consider the matter775of the new church hymn book, and make suggestions in regard to the publication of the same, would respectfully submit the following:— On examination we find that the committee to which this matter was referred at the last General Conference have been diligently at work selecting hymns and tunes, and have already arranged for twenty-six departments, as follows:— Repentance, Missionary, Reward of Saints, Judgment, Waiting for Christ, Social Worship, Baptism, Lord's Supper, Gospel, Sabbath, Law of God, Sanctuary, Dedication, Second Advent, Christian Experience, Closing Hymns, Family Devotion, Holy Spirit, Praise and Thanksgiving, Public Worship, Kingdom of God, Faith, Closing Message, Funeral Hymns, Special, and Miscellaneous. We find that most of the hymns and tunes in our present hymn book have been retained, and to these have been added many others of real value, gathered from various sources. We think that so far as the committee has gone, the collection is a good one, and the departments well arranged. But we think that one or two important departments have been omitted. It is a fact that there is a demand for a book containing pieces especially adapted for use in tent-meetings, camp-meetings, and new Sabbath-schools. Your Committee would therefore recommend that a department covering this ground be added to the hymn book. For the convenience of those who do not care for the tunes, and to supply the demand in our tent and camp-meetings, where the large book would be too expensive to use, we would recommend that three separate books be prepared, as follows:— 1. A book containing all the hymns and tunes, this book to be printed on strong and durable paper, and substantially bound. We also recommend that the type for the music be the larger of the two samples shown to the Committee; that the type of the hymns be Brevier No. 4, as shown in Barnhart Bros. & Spindler's book; that the size of the page be about the same as that of the "Spiritual Songs" published by Scribner & Co., New York; and that in addition to the regular index of hymns and tunes there be an index to the first line of each verse. 2. As there are a large number who do not care for the tunes, on account of not being able to read music, we recommend that another book be prepared, to contain the hymns alone, without the tunes; the size of page of this book to be about the same as that of our present hymn book, "Spiritual Songs." 3. And we recommend that still another book, of about 150 pages, be printed, for special use in tent labor, camp-meetings, and new fields, where it would be too expensive to use the large book; that this last book be made up of pages taken directly from the large book, without change of numbers, said book to contain all those pieces in that department of the large book devoted to tent labor, etc., and such other pieces as shall be thought suitable for this purpose; this book to be bound in paper covers, and gotten up as cheaply as possible and be consistent with good work; the retail price not to exceed ten cents per copy. The Sabbath-School.
By A. T. Jones
NOTES ON THE INTERNATIONAL LESSON.
Josiah and the Book of the Law.
IN this lesson we return to the kings of Judah. After the good king Hezekiah died, his son Manasseh reigned. "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abomination of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Israel; and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. . . . And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards; he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. . . . And Manasseh seduced them [the children of Judah] to do more evil than did the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel. . . . Moreover Manasseh shed innocent blood very much, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another; beside his sin wherewith he made Judah to sin, in doing that which was evil in the sight of the Lord." 2 Kings 21 : 2, 3, 6, 9, 16. THEN because of all this great evil, the Lord said by his prophets: "Therefore thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Behold I am bringing such evil upon Jerusalem and Judah that whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle. And I will stretch over Jerusalem the line of Samaria, and the plummet of the house of Ahab; and I will wipe Jerusalem, as a man wipeth a dish, wiping it, and turning it upside down." Verses 12, 13. "And the Lord spake to Manasseh, and to his people; but they would not hearken. Wherefore the Lord brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria [Esarhaddon], which took Manasseh among the thorns, and bound him with fetters, and carried him to Babylon." 2 Chron. 33 : 10, 11. He was released, however, after a while, and at his death his son Amon reigned. "And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as his father Manasseh did. . . . And the servants of Amon conspired against him, and slew the king in his own house. And the people of the land slew all them that had conspired against king Amon; and the people of the land made Josiah his son king in his stead." 2 Kings 21 : 20, 23, 24. THUS it was that young Josiah—only eight years of age—came to the throne. And he found the land full of iniquity and abominable idolatry: altars reared to Baal; images of Ashtoreth in the high places; places of worship for horrid Moloch; horses and chariots dedicated to the sun; priests of Baal, and of all the idols, burning incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the planets, and to all the host of heaven; the house of God shut up; the worship of the Lord forsaken, and the book of the law forgotten,—this had been the condition of affairs for nearly fifty years. In the eighth year of his reign he began actively the work of reformation—to break down the altars; to break in pieces the images; and to burn the chariots of the sun. Thus he did throughout all Judah. "And so did he in the cities of Manasseh, and Ephraim, and Simeon, even unto Naphtali, with their mauls round about." 2 Chron. 34 : 3-6. While these things were going on, the Levites were at the same time gathering money from all the people, of the hand of Manasseh and Ephraim, and of all the remnant of Israel, and of all Judah and Benjamin; and they returned to Jerusalem. And they put it into the hands of the workmen that had the oversight of the house of the Lord, and they gave it to the workmen that wrought in the house of the Lord, to repair and amend the house." "AND it came to pass in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, that the king sent Shaphan the son of Azaliah, the son of Meshullam the scribe to the house of the Lord, saying, Go up to Hilkiah the high priest, that he may sum the silver which is brought into the house of the Lord, which the keepers of the door have gathered of the people." "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again. . . . And Shaphan the scribe showed the king, saying, Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king; And it came to pass, when the king had heard the words of the book of the law, that he rent his clothes. And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Michaiah, and Shaphan the scribe, and Asaiah a servant of the king's, saying, Go ye, inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that is found; for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us." THESE messengers went immediately to Huldah the prophetess, who "dwelt in Jerusalem in the college," and when Josiah received the answer from the Lord, he gathered all the people together, "small and great," and "read in their ears all the words of the book of the covenant which was found in the house of the Lord." And the king made a covenant before the Lord, to keep his commandments, with all their heart and with all their soul. And all the people stood to the covenant. 2 Kings 23 : 2, 3. "And like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any like him." 2 Kings 23 : 25. JOSIAH did a grand work, and it is a grand commendation of the Lord that he received because of it. But this was not written for his sake alone. Those who tremble at the word of the Lord, and turn from their transgressions, as did King Josiah, the Lord will accept and commend as readily as he did him. This reformation by Josiah is only an illustration of the power of the word of God. When Luther found a Bible chained in the library of his monastery, its precious word touched his heart, and by it caused a revolution in all Europe. When Wesley began to obey that word "with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his might," the power of the word could not be kept back, but it fairly turned England and America "upside down." So it will be ever. Only let a few men, or even a solitary man, walk in the way of the commandments of God, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their might, and they can move nations. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." THE work of reformation is not yet done. The noble duty of covenanting to walk after the Lord and to keep his commandments, did not cease with this act of Josiah, nor with Luther, nor with Wesley. Even now the Lord sends a message to all people, saying with a loud voice, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus." Even now iniquity and idolatry prevail as really as in the days of Josiah, Luther, or Wesley. And now it is the duty of those who fear God to covenant to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and testimonies and his statutes, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and with all their might, to perform the words of this covenant that are written in the book. AS IT was in the days of Josiah, that the worship of Baal and Ashtoreth and the honor of the sun, had supplanted the worship and honor of Jehovah, even so now the worship of the beast (the papacy), and his image (the so-called National Reform), and the honor of the "venerable day of the sun" are fast supplanting the worship and honor of Jehovah. Even now, as of old, the Lord cries out, "If I be a Father, where is mine honor? if I be a Master, where is my fear?" Mal. 1 : 6. Men who make their boast of the law, through breaking the law are dishonoring God. "Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God?" Rom. 2 : 23. "If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day, and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable; and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isa. 58 : 13. "Them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Sam. 2 : 30.