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Signs of the Times, Vol. 11, No. 10.

Christ Our Model

Signs of the Times

Mar 5, 1885

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 5, 1885

Christ Our Model

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
“YE are not your own; ye are bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” “Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.”
If these rules were observed, there would not be that constant strain after the things of the world that makes life a burden in its intensity; but in its place would be the rest and peace that comes of seeking first the “kingdom of God, and his righteousness.” Many professed Christians seem to think that no effort on their part is needed in order to insure growth in grace, and as a consequence they are indolent and listless in spiritual things. But they are entertaining a mistaken view. They are called upon to be a peculiar people, a holy nation, a royal priesthood. God has opened to them the treasures of his word. Christ is to be made unto them wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption; and he would have them communicate the rich treasures of his grace to the world.
It will require a constant effort on our part to overcome the temptations we must daily meet. The world is against us; nominal Christians are against us; and Satan is against us, determined to resist every effort we make to advance in the divine life. He is watching every opportunity to interpose himself between our souls and our Creator. He will crowd in numberless cares, that we may find no time for reading the Bible and prayer. But we are not left alone in our warfare against the powers of darkness, and we should not allow ourselves to be separated from the Source of our strength.
If we would grow up into Christ our living head, we must make prayer a daily necessity, not only in the closet, but in the family also. It is because we pray so little that our prayers are not more urgent and intelligent. In prayer we commune with God, and become acquainted with him. What a privilege it is that we may draw near to him by faith, presenting the promises given in his word. Let us encourage and refresh our souls with these sure promises, pleading our great need as the reason why they should be fulfilled. Let us learn the simple art of faith, every day understanding better how to approach our heavenly Father. Let us observe his commandments as obedient children, and then rest upon his word, trusting that he will surely do as he said he would. Jesus loves us; and if we commit the keeping of our souls to him, he will not disappoint our hopes. He is waiting to be gracious to those who feel that they are weak and unworthy. He loves to bless them; for they will appreciate his blessings. But he will not intrude his presence; he will not force the will nor compel obedience.
Jesus may seem far off, and Satan may urge that he does not care for one like you. He may point to your hesitating, stumbling walk, and tell you that the God of Heaven will not condescend to answer your broken prayers. It is then that you may present the mighty argument of the cross: “Jesus died for me. He is my Redeemer. I shall not be ashamed or confounded; for I will cling to him, and trust in his righteousness.”
Become acquainted with the Scriptures, and learn to rely implicitly upon them, that when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord may lift up a standard against him. Few have the power of faith and true godliness, because, in a majority of cases, the God-given powers are devoted to worldly plans and enterprises, and the follies and fashions of social life, to the neglect of the things of God. The inventive powers are taxed for dress and the adornment of the home; but the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which in the sight of God is of great price, is made a matter of secondary importance.
We cannot afford to fritter away the golden moments in studying the fashions, or in following the customs of those whose god is this world. Precious probationary time should not be devoted to needless ornamentation; yet the Christian should not be careless and slovenly. It is our duty to be neat and tasty in person, dress, and habits, and to keep our houses and premises in order. Heaven is a place of perfect order, and as far as possible we should copy the heavenly model. We are representatives of Christ; then let us not dishonor him by our defective lives. Let us see that our tastes, our habits, our conversation, and our associations are in accordance with our high calling as sons and daughters of the King eternal.
Many take a superficial view of the character and mission of Christ. They imagine that he was devoid of warmth and sunniness; that he was gloomy, stern, unbending, severe, and joyless. This is the Jesus that was presented to Martin Luther. He was taught, as the Catholic Church has instructed so many of its votaries, that our Lord is an austere being, who delights in the sufferings of his creatures; that he is pleased with long fasts, and penances of the most painful and revolting character. And in many cases the whole religious experience is colored by these gloomy views, and the whole life warped.
It is often said that Jesus wept, but that he was never known to smile. Our Saviour was indeed a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; for he opened his heart to all the woes of man. “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.” But though his life was self-denying, and shadowed with pain and care, his spirits were not crushed. His countenance did not wear an expression of grief or repining, but ever one of peaceful serenity. His heart was a well-spring of life, and wherever he went he carried rest and peace, joy and gladness.
Our Saviour was deeply serious and intensely in earnest, but never gloomy or morose. The lives of those who imitate him will be full of earnest purpose; they will have a deep sense of personal responsibility. Levity will be repressed; there will be no boisterous merriment, no rude jesting or joking. But the religion of Jesus gives peace like a river. It does not quench the light of joy; it does not restrain cheerfulness, nor cloud the sunny, smiling face. Our lives should breathe the fragrance of Heaven, while we obey the injunction of the apostle,—“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
The soul is exalted and transformed by dwelling, not on self and on the sorrows and hardships that surround us, but on the glories of the eternal world. Unbroken communion with God gives increased knowledge of his truth and will, and of the soul's susceptibilities and powers; and the result will be unselfish motives and right traits of character. There will be no darkness or gloom to reflect to others. More of Heaven in men on earth would make religion attractive, and win souls to Christ.
Christ came not to be ministered unto, but to minister; and when his love reigns in the heart, we shall follow his example. If we keep uppermost in our minds the unkind and unjust acts of others, we shall find it impossible to love them as Christ has loved us; for there are few persons who do not on close acquaintance reveal unamiable traits of character. Even the best of us have these unlovely traits; and in selecting friends we should choose those who will not be driven away from us when they learn that we are not perfect. Mutual forbearance is called for. We should love and respect one another notwithstanding the faults and imperfections that we cannot help seeing; for this is the Spirit of Christ. Humility and self-distrust should be cultivated, and a patient tenderness with the faults of others. This will kill out all narrowing selfishness and make us large-hearted and generous.
If you have perplexities and troubles—and these are the common lot of mankind—do not tell them to others, and thus shadow their path. Do not go for help to every source but the right one; but tell Jesus everything; take it to the Lord in prayer, and then believe that he accepts you and your burden. Faith is the gift of God, but the power to exercise it is yours. A single earnest expression of faith strengthens faith; but every expression of doubt confirms doubt, and helps to gather about your soul the dark shadows of unbelief. Then do not open your soul to Satan's temptations by cherishing and expressing the doubts that he insinuates. Talk faith and courage. Press to the light; and bright beams from the Sun of Righteousness will dispel clouds and darkness, and sweet peace will pervade the soul.
“Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.” “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things,” and make them your rule of life. And “when Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”

Behold I Come Quickly: Christ's Reward and Judgment

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

FAITH

By Mrs. O. E. M'Cord

BY MRS. O. E. M'CORD.
What is faith? Why ask, my soul? Art weary ere thou reach thy goal? Is all thy light to darkness turned? Thine earthly hopes to ashes burned? Do those once friends, amid the crowd Turn from thee, cold, relentless, proud? And does thy darkness darker grow? Is thy heart worn with grief and woe? Faint, and yet fainter throbs thy life, Amid the jar of worldly strife?
Doubting soul, why askest thou, With princely seal upon thy brow That proves thee heir of King of kings? To thee the answering welkin rings: Faith is the key that opes the way To endless joy, to endless day. Christ is thy hope; in him be strong; Thy Father's hand will right the wrong. Faith, in its strength, shall put to flight The alien armies of the night.
Thus faith presents in tender love Fair visions of the home above, Sweet glimpses of that glorious land; Of waves of life on golden strand. Thus hid our life with Christ in God, Oh, murmur not, though 'neath the rod. Through faith and works we yet shall dwell With Him who “doeth all things well.”
Oregon City, Feb. 5, 1885.

Modern Deceptions.

By J. O. Corliss

Boston, it appears, is suffering another affliction, this time in the form of a “Metaphysical Healing” imposition. The calamity itself is nothing new, for it has cursed many localities by its presence. The only thing new about it in New England’s metropolis is its imposing name—Christian Science. The prime mover in the work there is a Mrs. Eddy, who claims to be the discoverer of the wonderful system. (?) Already more than two hundred have graduated from her school, to perpetrate their frauds on other unsuspecting communities.
It does seem strange that so many impostors can find subjects upon whom to practice their quackery. There are, however, some localities where the very atmosphere seems to invite frauds of all kinds. Some people never learn wisdom. We have known those who, when gulled by some slick-tongued trickster, were in no way daunted, but would deliberately walk into a second or third net prepared for them with the same apparent simple-heartedness that marked their first indiscretion. In fact, there are some who to all appearances enjoy being duped. For instance, instead of proceeding by a regular, rational method to eliminate disease, many will go to some charlatan who boasts of his miraculous cures, and submit to a process that is childish in the extreme—perhaps amounting to nothing more than measuring the patient with a string—and a handsome fee is paid for the privilege.
Being obliged to wait for a train in Ottumwa, Iowa, a few years ago, with some friends I went to view the town and its surroundings. Having often heard of a celebrated “healer” who lived there, we directed our steps toward his place of business. Upon arriving there we were surprised to find a number of large brick buildings, occupying a prominent site in the city. From what we had heard we supposed that his practice would certainly be confined to a few of the most ignorant class; but to our astonishment we learned that his patronage was from the wealthy of that and other States. His practice had been so extensive that from a humble beginning a few years before, he had been enabled to expend $90,000 on his establishment. As we ascended the stairs in the front hall, we noticed that some of them were literally worn through from the great amount of travel over them in the short time the establishment had existed. As we passed to the room where we were to have an audience with the chief attraction of the place, we pictured to ourselves the appearance of the man who had been able to accomplish so much financially, and expected to meet one of noble mien, and stately bearing. Judge of our revulsion of feeling, however, when we were introduced to a very inferior, and even degraded looking man, as Dr. Paul Castor, the celebrated healer of all life’s maladies. Now having seen the man, we were more curious than ever to know in what lay his power to draw so many to him and hold them, even to the surrender of their riches to his endowment.
While questioning him as to his methods of treatment, two lady patients came to the door, and were called in. One of them was a frail, nervous creature, the other more stoutly built, and of more vigorous constitution. The small, nervous woman was told to stand in the opposite corner of the room, and after making some passes with his hands, a kind of incantation, he ordered her to perform certain feats, such as the violent twitching of one shoulder, or one entire side of the body. Having done this, he then commanded her to be healed. He thought that now he had certainly triumphed over our objections, and that we would be captivated. But we were far from satisfied with such work, and so sought an interview with the other lady who was present. She informed us that she had been there for quite a long time without receiving benefit from the treatment. Upon inquiry we learned that every effort to bring her into the condition we had seen the other lady was unavailing, and then the matter was clear that it was but the power of mesmerism.
Afterward conversing with the old man, whom we were now satisfied was a fraud of the most pronounced type, we found him utterly ignorant of the laws of life. He claimed to know nothing of anatomy or physiology, and even boasted that he could not write his name. Yet this was a man who could call the rich from remote quarters to deposit their treasures at his feet; men who in any other transaction would have displayed ordinary wisdom and forethought, but seemed powerless before this modern necromancer.
If such pretenders would but set before the people the “true inwardness” of their ways, their traffic would soon cease. They know this too, as well as others; hence the necessity of carrying on their work under an assumed name. Spiritualists have advertised their “healing mediums,” and the people have been humbugged by them until it has become necessary to take another tack in order to accomplish their ends, namely, to live by gulling the public.
The name Christian is one that commands respect, therefore it takes with the majority; and to endue any fraud with that precious name is to insure it a measure of success for a time at least. But to invest it with the dignified title of Christian Science, is the signal for half the world to embrace it without investigation. Those at the head of such affairs are generally lionized and enriched (as in the case of the Iowa man), and therefore enjoy the situation. If the rich alone were duped, it were not so much matter, for they can stand it; but these empirics are bent on one thing alone—to get money. This they will have though they wring it from the scanty means of the lowly day-laborer.
The theory now taught by this so-called Christian Science, is, that “sickness is a belief, a latent fear made manifest on the body in different forms of inflammation and disease.” The conclusion is therefore easily reached that sin, sickness, and even death are unreal. When made to adopt this theory, one has but to say to sickness, “You are nothing but the result of fear,” then brace up in the mind, and the cure is effected! And such mummery is dignified with the title of Christian Science. But in what does their “science” consist? In this and nothing more. Certain persons have power to hold a magical influence over the minds of some others. The one thus made subject to the other, yields implicitly simply because his mind is in accord with the mind of the other, and, for a time, he sees matters just as his enchanter wills him to see. There is no science about it. It is but vapid empiricism.
One of the ladies recently lecturing in Boston, told of her having once taken poison, and though her family was much alarmed as to the consequence, she simply reasoned with herself that mind should not yield to matter, and it did not; she came forth from the ordeal without harm. (?) At the close of the lecture she gave opportunity for questions. A physician present questioned her, with the following results, as stated in the Christian of Work:— “Madam, you say poisons are only so to us because we do not decree they shall not hurt us. And they will not, if we decree they shall not! Now I have here what we call a powerful emetic. Will you let me administer a dose to you right here?” The doctor said the admirers of the lecturer present looked three or four thunder-storms at him in one glance. Madam said nothing. But, standing his ground, the physician pressed his question. “Will you take the emetic now?” “No!” answered this “scientist,” “I will not.” “Why not?” Thinking a moment, she answered: “It would be a direct challenge to God.”
Strange enough! Here is a finely spun theory that the power of one’s own mind could triumph over matter, to the extent of warding off disease, and the effect of poison, and when asked to simply test the matter before an audience, the whole thing is thrown back upon God. Either mind does have such power over matter, or it does not. If God made the mind to have such power, it can be exercised at the will of its possessor. Then why in the name of reason make this exercise depend entirely upon infinite power? Such subterfuges are not broad enough to cover the fraud at the foundation of the scheme. When will people learn wisdom, and give no notice to such sensationalists? If this were done it would be but a little time before they would be driven to gain a livelihood by more honorable means. Health is very desirable; and all who can will have it, even at the expense of a fortune. On no other ground can one account for the wholesale frauds to which so many subject themselves. It is much better, however, to seek health by some regular method than subject one’s self to the influence of Spiritualistic frauds. J. O. CORLISS.

Be and Do.

THERE is a great difference between being good and doing good. Some people suppose that if a man will only do good he is certain to be good. But a man may do a great many good things and still lack the element of goodness within. He may do them to be seen of men, or to deceive people; to obtain a reputation, and secure large opportunities for the commission of crime; and so his well-doing may prove only a cloak for all iniquity.
The divine order is not first do and then be, but first be and then do. The fountain is to be made sweet, and then the waters may be expected to be pure. The tree must be made good, and then the fruit will not be corrupt. The beginning of all legitimate reformation and righteousness must be in the grace and power of God, through whom we are born again, or created anew in Christ Jesus, and thus prepared for service in Christ’s cause.
We are not to wait until after we have done many good things, and then expect we shall become good as a result of our actions; but we are rather to go just as we are to Jesus, the Saviour of the lost, to God, who loves and pities perishing men; and, having done this, and having been renewed in the spirit of our minds, we are then prepared for the Master’s service, and for all well-doing which he may require of us.—Sel.

Father Chiniquy in Montreal.

FATHER CHINIQUY’S recent visit to Canada was productive of much good. At a meeting of all the Protestant ministers of Montreal, strong resolutions depreciating the violence of the Roman Catholic mob were adopted. Father Chiniquy’s farewell meeting is thus reported in the Montreal papers of Dec. 17, 1884:—
The meeting was opened with religious exercises, after which the Rev. Mr. Chiniquy was called upon to speak on “The Rome of the Emperors and the Rome of the Popes.”
In the opening he spoke briefly of the trials and persecutions of the Christians under the early heathen emperors. “But,” said he, “I have compared the two Romes and I tell you that the Rome of the Cæsars was infinitely better than the Rome of the popes. There have been more infamy, more crimes, more tyranny, more ungodliness in the Rome of the popes than in the Rome of the Cæsars. I do not say that to insult the Roman Catholics. The pope of Rome is a fraud in every sense. He is the greatest fraud the world has ever seen. He pretends to derive his power from Peter, but we do not find a single word in the Bible to substantiate this doctrine or to show that Peter ever went to Rome. And even if Peter had been in Rome it does not prove that he had been a ruler over the other apostles. When the disciples disputed among themselves who should be the first, did Christ say at any time that one of them would be the first? The honest writers of the Roman Catholic Church tell us that the supremacy of the pope was not spoken of for the first six or seven centuries, and the first bishop who took upon himself the title of ‘Supreme Pontiff,’ was rebuked by Gregory the Great, who said that any man who called himself the supreme pontiff is Antichrist.”
“What have they done to show the spiritual power of the pope? They had a man named Isidore, who wrote a book on this subject, nine-tenths of which is simply lies. He used the names of saints, councils, and countries that never existed, in support of his statements. This book was sent to the pope, who began to adopt its teachings little by little through the church. And here I stand ready to prove this thing, before the priests and bishop of Montreal, from their own books and records. Then as to the temporal power of the pope. How is it that the popes became the masters of Rome? They have forged a title which they said was written by Constantine the Great, in which he gave to the pope the greatest part of Italy. If all the popes were to be dealt with as they deserved, they would all be sent to the penitentiary.”
He then read the testimony of St. Catharine, Erasmus (the great opponent of Luther), Chancellor Gerson, Baronius, St. Bonaventure, and other respected members of the church of Rome, speaking in the plainest terms against the degradation of some of the popes. Continuing, he said: “When I had been a Roman Catholic priest for fifteen years, I wanted to take a rest and visit Rome, but the bishop, who had just returned from Rome, said to me: ‘No, Chiniquy, you must not go to Rome; your eyes are too sharp.’ A writer of the church of Rome has said that if, after a second admonition, heretics shall remain obstinate, they must be excommunicated and exterminated. And why do they not do so to us now? Archbishop Lynch said the other day that they do not do it because they are not strong enough! The pope has not converted any nation. The priests have preached their religion, but the Christ they preach is an idol, a wafer. The pope hates the Bible, but he makes the people think he loves it. When I became a priest I swore that I would read the Bible, but I had also to swear not to interpret it according to my intelligence, but according to the ‘Holy Father’s’ interpretation.
“The pope has concealed the Bible, but some of the rays of light make their way out of the prison in which they are held, and some souls take hold of them; and it is in this way, by the mercy of Christ, that many people have received light, not from the pope, but from the gospel which he had tried to conceal. Some of you will think that I am very hard on the church of Rome, but you are mistaken. The Roman Catholics have no better friend than I am. The man who tells the people to leave a ship when it is going to sink is their friend. I saw that the Romish ship would surely perish, and I jumped on a rock and cried to the sailors, ‘Come out; the ship is rotten!’ For the last five weeks my room has been filled with people from all ranks of life, saying: ‘We are tired of the tyranny of the church of Rome; we want to come to Christ; we want a religion that will not make us slaves of the priest.’ Help them by your prayers, and by sending missionaries to them.”—Converted Catholic.

Prominent, Though Slighted.

MANY consider prophecy as something dark, while in a far different manner does the Holy Spirit speak of it. He tells us it is “a light that shineth in a dark place,” that “it is sure,” and something concerning which it is well to take heed. Paul considered it a proper subject upon which to preach to his converts from heathendom in Thessalonica—mere babes in Christ—and that when his stay amongst them was but for the short period of three or four weeks; for in his second letter to them, after giving instruction concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our gathering together unto him, he remarks, Remember ye not that when I was yet with you, I told you these things?
It may surprise some of our readers to learn that Bickersteth claims, after a careful examination of the subject, that one verse in every thirty in the New Testament relates to this doctrine, while should we add the hundreds of allusions to it that may be found in the Old Testament, we would have some idea of the large part of God’s word which refers to this much slighted truth. Does God mean “all,” when he distinctly states that all Scripture is profitable for doctrine and for instruction in righteousness, that the believer may be thoroughly furnished unto all good works? And if he does, then is not the minister who is indifferent to this portion of his word something worse than being wise in his own conceit? and is his flock, as God sees it, “thoroughly furnished”?
The sacred and important ordinance of baptism is scarcely mentioned in the New Testament in comparison with the doctrine before us. In fact, in thirteen of the epistles there is no allusion to it whatever, and yet we know the great prominence it has always held in the teachings of the universal church. Let us not slight this ordinance because the Holy Spirit has not so frequently referred to it; and upon the other hand, let us be careful not to close our eyes to that truth which he has thought sufficiently important to bring before our notice as frequently as we have already seen.
Paul, speaking by the Spirit to Titus, says a great deal about sound doctrine, sound speech, and soundness in the faith; and then, after referring to the blessed hope and glorious appearing, is most careful to say to his son in the faith, “These things speak.” Frequently we hear the remark that such or such a man “is a good preacher;” now the Holy Spirit’s definition of a “good minister” may be found in Paul’s first letter to Timothy. Speaking of the end of this age, Paul says, “If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ.” How this test reduces the number of the “good preachers” of the present day.
It should be remembered that the last book of the Bible is not the Apocalypse of St. John, but the Revelation of Jesus Christ. And in conclusion, we would say to that vast majority of God’s ministers who are yet in darkness concerning this important subject, Awake, awake, thou that sleepest, and Christ shall give thee light.—Episcopal Recorder.

Woman's Place in the Early Church.

By George Dana Boardman

WOMAN occupies a conspicuous place in the primitive church. This will be evident if I simply mention some of the feminine names which appear in the New Testament records: Anna, Apphia, Chloe, Claudia, Damaris, Dorcas, Elizabeth, Eunice, Euodia, Joanna, Julia, Lois, Lydia, Martha, Mary of Bethany, Mary of Magdala, Mary of Nazareth, Mary of Rome, Mary the mother of Mark, Mary the wife of Cleopas, Persis, Phoebe, Priscilla, Rhoda, Salome, Susanna, Syntyche, Tryphœna, Tryphosa, etc. Moreover, there are many women on whom the Lord bestowed signal favors, but whose names have not come down to us; for example, Peter's mother-in-law, the widow of Nain, the daughter of Jairus, the woman with the issue of blood, the Canaanite mother and daughter, the woman with the eighteen years' infirmity. Once more, there are the many anonymous women who tried in one way or another to serve the Lord Jesus; for example, the woman-evangelist of Jacob's well, the penitent adorer in Simon's house, the widow with her two mites, Pilate's wife, the wailing women on their way to Calvary, the praying women of the upper chamber, etc. Indeed, it may be doubted whether any secular history, so small as the four gospels, was ever written, in which the womanly element so largely prevails, as in the life of Jesus the Christ.
Nor is this surprising. For, first, woman's distinctive temperament makes her, if I may so say, a natural believer in Jesus Christ. He is emphatically “the seed of the woman.”
“Not she with trait’rous kiss her Saviour stung, Not she denied him with unholy tongue; She, while apostles shrank, could danger brave, Last at his cross, and earliest at his grave.”
Secondly, woman owes an incalculable debt to Jesus Christ. His birth marks the turning point in woman's history. Hitherto, as in heathen countries to this day, she had been the victim of man's caprice, cruelty, lust, scorn, and tyranny. Even the Hebrews themselves, although taught from the beginning to reverence woman, had been wont to regard her as man's handmaid, rather than his equal; in fact, a Jewish morning prayer prescribes that a man shall bless God for three things, namely, that he was not born a Gentile, a slave, or a woman. But when the fullness of the time came, and God sent forth his Son, to be born of a woman, as well as under the law, then was woman herself emancipated, and restored to her paradisal equality with man. Henceforth, at least in the realm of the spiritual life, there was to be neither Jew nor Greek, neither bond nor free, neither male nor female; for all are one in Christ Jesus. It has been so ever since; wherever Jesus Christ has been best known, there woman has been most honored. Woman, let me repeat, owes everything to the Son of Mary.—George Dana Boardman, D. D., in S. S. Times.

The Habit of Grumbling

THERE is nothing in the world that hurts a man so much as the habit of grumbling. Some people are like snarling dogs that never see a stranger, whether he be friend or foe, without snapping at his heels. The good in life is never good enough, and the bad is always worse than it is. An old sinner once confessed on her knees that she had had a heap of trouble in her life and that most of it never happened. It is a good rule not to suffer from the toothache until the tooth begins to ache.—Sel.
Continue reading: Constantine and His Favors to Christians