Earlier text: I Shall Not WantThe Widow’s Mites
By Irwin H. Evans
The Jewish feast was on. The gorgeous day
Was all resplendent East could ask. The sky
As sea was blue. Nor cloud nor mist as veil
Did hang to hide the golden sun. The spring
With all its charms of green and life had come.
Perfumes from blooming nature filled the air.
The young skipped here and there in play, or slept
Beneath the mother’s patient, watchful eye.
The mated birds, their young ones hatched, now trilled
Melodious songs from field and shrub and tree. Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims from
Afar and near. The feast of Passover
Had come, and God it seemed had made a day
In Palestine full like the one that once
Had been in ancient Goshen, when the king
And his armed men drove Israel forth, their God
To worship in an unseen, distant land.
The oldest priest had never seen such throngs.
The records searched, and none had been. The cause? —
The far-famed Teacher. He, the Seer, the throngs
Would meet and hear and judge. If Christ, the crowds
Would know; impostor, they would hiss and cry,
“Away with him!” but all would see and hear.
The temple early filled; for word had spread,
“The Teacher! he will come this day; he slept
At Bethany.” The Master as his wont
Had spent much time in prayer. The need he felt
Was great; his strength too weak. The morrow stern
Would tax his wisdom; so he tarried long
In supplication: took but slight repast;
His food, his Father’s will; his strength, the help
The Holy Spirit gives to contrite souls. The last star’s glimmering light paled into gray
As Jesus waked his sleeping friends to toil;
And as the morning sun shot gleams of gold
Past peaks of hills, and kissed the thronged streets,
The Saviour,—Christ, the Son of God, man’s Friend,—
With solemn mien, followed by twelve, his choice
Of all who called him Christ, the Father’s Son,
Entered the Valley gate, and took the road,
With motley throng, that to the temple led.
Too hurried were the weary feet to pause
And ask, “Is he the One?” All bent to reach
The temple court the first. Often the beasts
Did crowd him for the path, and man and child
Jostled and pressed, in careless mood, the world’s
Redeemer; nor would they so much as speak,
As now, so then, the worshiper possessed
One strong desire,—to get the choicest place;
Nor heed did pay to others’ need, as if
His God were blind to acts of men. So rushed
They on, the Master in their midst. Now fell
A woman aged, and worn with journey long,
Struck by a donkey’s load, and none would lift
Her up, nor stay to know her hurt—the court,
The temple court, their goal. The Master pressed
The throng apart, and stooped to lift again
To feet the one borne down. His touch was life.
Restored was she, and grateful too; but she
Had come afar to worship God, and haste
Must make to find a place. Now, healed, she could
Not wait to journey with her Lord. None knew
His touch had healed her wound, save her from whom
The virtue came. He felt the passing of the power
Which gave the needed aid; virtue had gone
From him. And none did heed. This people, hard,
Had come to worship God. What cared they else?
The temple reached, the Master slowly climbs
Its polished marble steps. Less hurried now
The throngs of men, though courts below are pressed
For room. Swift in the temple comes a hush
As the far-famed and Holy One takes seat.
The money changers grip their coin and cease
Their cry; the hucksters soon are dumb, and look
Askance. The priests slink back, abashed, and hide.
Awhile, it seemed He would be left alone.
He sits enwrapped in deep though silent thought.
The morrow—death! O life! O sin! The grave!—
Nor seen, nor feared. Deep grief is in his face,
Such grief as only God, not man, can know.
So pity is awakened in hearts that see. Some pause
To see if he is dead, but none dare speak. O people! here is God, the Christ, crushed down
Beneath man’s guilt and sin; and agony
Is in his heart. Will none give words to cheer? The twelve are there, but stand apart; they dread
To look into his eyes, foreboding death.
But John, the well-beloved, is near; he can
Not be content far from his blessed Lord.
The ardent Peter by yon pillar stands;
Close by is James; and Judas stands beside
The treasury box. Oft has he thought, “How much
They give!” and longed to fill his hungry purse.
Not his the chance; an impious hoarding host
Of priests guard well the till, while Judas dreams,
“A bargain could be made for gold; the priests
Will buy the Lord.” But why such thoughts? He turns
To learn if Christ has seen his guilt. But no—
The Master looks not up, and Judas leaves
His place, and stands beyond the treasury box. A noise is heard, a rush, a jam, the blare
Of trumpets loud. The priests appear. The cry,
“Behold, Prince Abram comes! Royal his gift!”
Re-echoes through the halls and corridors.
“Behold, Prince Abram comes! Royal his gift!
Make way! Make way!” cry priest and Pharisee.
“Prince Abram comes! And royally he gives!”
Aside are pushed the young, the old, the poor,
That he who comes to give may honor have
And hearty cheer. It matters not whose heart
May ache, whose body’s crushed, if only room
Is made for sons of Mammon, great in wealth.
This prince is rich, far spread his fame. In Ethiop’
His mines are worked by slaves. His argosies
Sail forth to ports afar; his gains beyond
Compute, and more,—beyond the law of love.
Hard grind his slaves at many tasks. To him
The poor in vain for mercy cry; his heart
No mercy knows, no thought of pity feels.
More gains his only end,—and more—and more.
Down yonder street he comes. Before, the band
Proceeds, to sound his name; behind, silk clad,
His servants, decked like Solomon’s. Beneath
A canopy of silks and golden lace,
He rides upon a chair of gold. Each pound
Of gold has cost the life of man. But now
He comes to make amends. A “royal gift”
He brings to priest and temple grand. The priest
Will offering make to mend his soul. The gold
He gives will pardon buy. The groans and tears
And prayers from slaves are naught. Are men not made
To die? Four slaves bear him aloft. And now
They climb the marble steps, and reach the floor
Where stands the vault for gold and gifts. Vast wealth
Its maw had held, but empty now, and e’er
Shall be; like death, which ne’er can say, Enough.
Before him then is laid, for feet so soft,
A rug from Persia’s loom. No priest e’er saw
Such sheen and glow from toil and sweat of man.
A score of lives were weaved in that one rug.
Each step is on a human heart. A life
Was snuffed for every yard. And yet, ’twas made
For dainty feet like his. And after him
The rug is rolled; for only his must tread
On human woe. Then come four men, and strong,
From Africa’s darkened land. Nor skins were more
Like blackest night than hearts and minds. These now
Are in Jehovah’s temple grand, with backs
All scarred with lash and stroke; their features stern
With hate and sin. The priests are there,—the chief
Priest Annas, too, the high, and Caiaphas,—all
Are there to welcome Abram’s gift of gold.
The trumpeters blow long and loud; the throngs
Press close, for every eye would see the bag
Of gold Prince Abram gives. Intensity
Pulls hard; the four black men lift high the gift,
The prince with sword cuts cord that binds, then falls
The glittering gold. When all is done, the high
Priest Annas lifts his hands, “Jehovah great,
Thee bless in basket and in store; increase
Thy gold, and flocks, and herds; add to thy lands;
Prolong thy life; destroy thy foes; and spread
Thy fame afar. Amen.” As came the prince,
So he departs, amid th’ admiring crowd.
From Rome, another Mammon prince came next.
In gifts and outward show he dimmed the prince
From Egypt’s port, and won applause of all.8In meditation deep the Master sat,
And gave no sign that all was known to him.
But Judas noted all—O wealth he could
Not touch! His heart held thoughts he dared not speak
aloud.
But other friends of Jesus neither saw
The show, nor cared. Their hearts and thoughts to him
Were true. The throngs are busied now with things
Within, without. The Master turns to one
Who now is struggling up those polished stairs,
So old and weak and worn, she scarce can lift
Herself from step to step. With staff in hand,
She leans upon the balustrade, and pants
For breath; she shakes her hoary, wrinkled head,
And speaks: “No more this giddy height for me:
Too weak I am—too old. Alas! no more
These eyes, so dim, shall see God’s holy house.
I’m done. Lord, help me on this once, just once.
To enter this thy holy place again.
Permit my eyes to see thy holy priests;
Though here I vow to touch not e’en what they
Do wear, lest I defile thy priests, and make
Unclean. Lord, I would enter thine abode.
Then let thy servant die. Amen.” So on
She climbs, her feeble limbs can scarce convey
Her form within; but as she slowly gains
New strength, she spends it all to reach the place
Her heart desires. It is the Treasury!
Why comes she here? To beg? In poverty
She’s clad. No sign of wealth she shows; her dress
So thin and worn one fears another week
It can but drop and leave her shriveled form To wind and storm. No priest is there. The blare
Of trumpet sounds, no call to see. Alone
She stands beside the very spot where sons
Of Mammon stood. With effort sore she draws
A napkin, safely tied, from pocket deep,
And takes two mites,—so long she’d saved,—and then,
Lest man should see, awaits her chance, and slips
The two into the very place where gold
And precious stones so lately clinked and rolled.
With heart of prayer, she cries, “Lord, Lord, it’s all.
I have no more. I give my sinful heart
To thee. O, grant thy servant may within
Thy holy hill some day abide.” She then
Withdraws amid the throng, and seeks her home. The Master knew her heart, and stirred by what
Had been, and was, he spoke: “Of all these gifts,
This widow’s mites are most. She gave her all,
Her need, her bread. Her house has neither food
Nor fire. My Father cares not for the sum,
But for the heart which gives. To him the love
Behind the gift is most. I say this poor
And lonely heart gave all; and were it less
A thousandfold, if that could be, than what
It is, yet still no pompous gift of gold
From hearts of pride can equal hers. In heaven
All gifts are measured by the love within
The heart. A drop of water given to one
Who is of mine shall ne’er forgotten be,
When given in my name. I must be first,
And love is what I want. Tell all, in days
To come, the Master craves the heart, and then
He has the rest; for love transmutes the gift,
And, be it less or more, ’tis all I ask.” Results of Casting Away the Law of God
By Ellen G. White
(Reprinted by request from the REVIEW of May 2, 1893) ALL may read the signs of the times, and see whither the world is drifting. Jesus said, “As it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man. They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all. Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; but the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all. Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.” The signs of the times are plain and startling. Look into the papers that flood our world, filled with recitals of daily crimes, committed not only in the lower walks of life, but also among the higher classes. Those who occupy positions of trust, who are placed as guardians of the people’s interest, are untrue to their responsibility. There is embezzlement and fraud. Public money is stolen, and not one tithe of these corrupt transactions comes to the light of day, and we do not see to what extent the wickedness of the world exists. The youth of our time are receiving their education from the evil-doings of these wicked but honored men of the world. Theft, murder, adultery, corruption, every sin that has a name, prevails to an awful extent. Does the wickedness of the world exist because men have kept the commandments of God?—No. It is the result of the working of the enemy of God and man, who has had the world under his training for many ages. He has taught them to trample underfoot God’s great moral standard, and lawlessness, corruption, and crime are the result. Jesus spoke to his people Israel from the pillar of cloud and fire. He said, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” The same voice that gave directions to the children of Israel from the pillar of cloud and fire has given lessons to his people of today. When he stood upon the earth clothed in the habiliments of humanity, he gave this same command. He said, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself.” The instruction of Christ was not to be passed by indifferently, but transmitted from parents to children, from one generation to another. “These words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.” Had fathers and mothers followed the direction given by Christ, we should not now read and hear of sins and crimes committed not only by adults, but even by youth and children. The evil condition of society exists because parents have disregarded this instruction, and neglected to train and educate their children to respect and honor the holy commandments of God. Even religious teachers have failed to present the holy standard by which character is measured, because they have ceased to respect every one of the precepts that God has given, which are holy, and just, and good. Men have taken upon themselves the responsibility of erecting a standard in harmony with their own ideas, and the law of Jehovah has been dishonored. This is why there is so great and widespread iniquity. This is why our days are becoming like the days of Noah and Lot. The evil one has arranged things to suit his satanic majesty, that he may lead the world captive. Crime is looked upon with far more indifference than it used to be, and the penalty due for the offense is not executed. Were criminals punished as they should be, there would be a restraint upon men who regard no entreaty and heed no warning. Because God manifests long forbearance, many are so hardened that they do not think it possible that certain punishment will fall upon the evil-doer. “Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Instead of being softened by the patience and forbearance and long-suffering of God, wicked men encourage themselves in more obstinate resistance. Because immediate retribution is not visited upon them, they despise the mercy and forbearance of God. O that every living teacher would teach in both word and doctrine that there are limits to God’s long-suffering! Many have gone beyond the limits of his forbearance. The world should be aroused to a wholesome fear of the Lord God of hosts. The time and age in which we live is one of marked depravity; for many disregard the precepts of the law of God. The commandment of God is treated with indifference, and even with open contempt, and the inhabitants of9the world are fast approaching the limits of the forbearance of the grace of God. Erelong God will arise and vindicate his honor. We are living in perilous times, and because iniquity abounds, the love of many waxes cold. Shall those who profess to love God be carried away with the prevailing wickedness? Shall they be tempted to disregard the law of Jehovah, and render less reverence to the holy commandment, because the tide of evil brings to bear so strong a current against goodness and righteousness? The zeal and love of the children of God should rise in proportion as they see the law of Jehovah set aside and treated as nonessential. They should cry, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law. Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea, above fine gold.” As iniquity increases, and contempt is manifested against the law of God, those who truly love God will reach for a higher state of holiness. Let us all bear in mind the fact that we are fast approaching that crisis in human iniquity when it will be necessary for God to interfere. The Amorites were inhabitants of Canaan, and the Lord had promised the land of Canaan to the Israelites; but a long interval must pass before his people should possess the land. He stated the reason why this interval must pass. He told them that the iniquity of the Amorites was not yet full, and their expulsion and extermination could not be justified until they had filled up the cup of their iniquity. Idolatry and sin marked their course, but the measure of their guilt was not such that they could be devoted to destruction. In his love and pity God would let light shine upon them in more distinct rays; he would give them opportunity to behold the working of his wondrous power, that there might be no excuse for their course of evil. It is thus that God deals with the nations. Through a certain period of probation he exercises long-suffering toward nations, cities, and individuals. But when it is evident that they will not come unto him that they might have life, judgments are visited upon them. The time came when judgment was inflicted upon the Amorites, and the time will come when all the transgressors of his law will know that God will by no means clear the guilty. “Though a sinner do evil a hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yet surely I know that it will be well with them that fear God, which fear before him; but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days, which are as a shadow: because he feareth not before God.” The Jews rejected light and truth, and the Son of God, who died to save the worst sinners, who had said, “Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out,” declared that the blood of all the prophets which had been shed from the foundation of the world should be required of the Jewish nation. Great light had been given the Jews, but they would not heed it. To substantiate truth, evidence had been piled upon evidence; but as a nation, they rejected the counsel of God against themselves. When the judgment of God did fall upon the Jews, it was an evidence that they were finally impenitent, and set stubbornly against light and truth, against the messages and warnings of God. They pursued a course similar to that of their fathers, and had filled up the measure of their iniquity. They had worn out the divine patience by their repeated sins, and so great was their influence for evil upon the human family, that God made an example of them before the world. Let us consider solemnly the dealings of God with nations and individuals, that we may avoid taking a course that will ruin us through transgression of the law of God. Let us treasure up every blessing, every heaven-sent ray of light, in warnings, in reproofs, in tokens of mercy given unto us. Let us not be among those who lightly regard God’s forbearance. The figures of their iniquity are traced with unerring accuracy in the records of heaven, and are rapidly accumulating to the full measure of their guilt. God is still sending his precious messages of truth; he is still revealing precious gems of truth that have been hidden beneath the rubbish of error. He is still making plain his overtures of mercy, his willingness to pardon transgression and sin. He is still offering the wedding garment woven in the loom of heaven, even the righteousness of Christ, that men may be clothed, and prepared to enter the marriage supper of the Lamb. God does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men. With tearful utterance the husbandman says, “What more could have been done to my vineyard, that I have not done in it?” The unrivaled mercies and blessings of God have been showered upon our nation; it has been a land of liberty, and the glory of the whole earth. But instead of returning gratitude to God, instead of honoring God and his law, the professed Christians of America have become leavened with pride, covetousness, and self-sufficiency. The love of money, which is the root of all evil, has had a large place in their hearts. Many whose names are upon the church records have oppressed the poor, and grasped every possible advantage over those who were under them. They have lived to gratify appetite, to make extravagant display; and pride is fast making a Sodom of our world. But God is keeping his reckoning. The treatment of the poor, the robbery of the widow and the fatherless by those who are lifted up against the weak and helpless, is all written in the books of heaven. The cries of those who are oppressed have reached the ears of him who judgeth righteously. The time has come when judgment is fallen in the streets, and equity cannot enter, and he that departeth from evil maketh himself a prey. But the Lord’s arm is not shortened that it cannot save, and his ear is not heavy that it cannot hear. The people of the United States have been a favored people; but when they restrict religious liberty, surrender Protestantism, and give countenance to popery, the measure of their guilt will be full, and “national apostasy” will be registered in the books of heaven. The result of this apostasy will be national ruin. The voices of those under the altar who have been slain for the word of God and the testimony of Jesus, are still saying, “It is time for thee, Lord, to work: for they have made void thy law.” To the people who will be keeping the commandments of God when under the hand of oppression, will come these words of comfort: “Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is New Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.” The Generation
By C. P. Bollman
“VERILY I say unto you, This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” Matt. 24: 34, 35. Everything foretold by our Saviour in this line of prophecy as signs, that is, all the natural phenomena belonging unmistakably to probationary time, has been fulfilled; and to those who would be in a position to recognize these things as signs, our Saviour says: “Now learn a parable of the fig tree; when his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth leaves, ye know that summer is nigh: so likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it [“he,” margin] is near, even at the doors.” Verses 32, 33. It is true other signs are mentioned, but they run into the event itself to such an extent that it is difficult to tell where the signs end and where the event foreshadowed by them begins. “There is a line by us unseen
That crosses every path,
The hidden boundary between
God’s patience and his wrath.” This is true of individuals, and it is true of the world as a whole. That line is the close of probation, whether of the individual or of the world. The world will cross it sometime, but the Lord has not revealed the time; it is this event that steals upon a careless world “as a thief in the night.” The Lord did not give the signs of his coming in such a way as to enable any one to locate even relatively the close of probation. The knowledge of “that day and hour” has been wisely withheld from us. But we are commanded to know that the Saviour is near. This we may know, and this we10must know if we would meet him in peace. To refuse this knowledge which he has put within our reach, is to be disloyal to our Lord. As all those things that we know to be signs have already occurred, the coming of the Lord cannot be a matter of indifference to us, for Jesus has said of the generation that would be in a position to learn “a parable of the fig tree:” “This generation shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled.” Truly — “We are living, we are dwelling,
In a grand and awful time;
In an age on ages telling —
To be living is sublime.” The writer recalls hearing, years ago, as a boy, a number of Presbyterian ministers discussing informally in his father’s home the question of how long it would take to finish the work of giving the gospel to all the world. All who participated in the discussion were in their prime, but not one expected to live to see the work accomplished. In those days no well-informed person hoped to see the speedy finishing of the gospel. Indeed, only thirty years ago — to be exact, in the Northwestern Christian Advocate of Dec. 3, 1885 — Bishop Foster said: “Our children’s children for ten generations to come must labor harder than we are doing, to accomplish the conversion of the world.” Of course the good bishop had in view something the Scriptures do not promise; nevertheless the fact remains that he did not believe the end to be possible inside of ten generations from his day. But he lived to see practically the whole Christian world adopt as its slogan, “The gospel to all the world in this generation.” Why this change? Is it not because we have reached the generation that is to see this work finished, the generation that “shall not pass, till all these things be fulfilled”? Think of the wonderful changes that have taken place in the world within the last century. A hundred years ago a large part of the world was closed against the gospel. The interior of Africa was practically unknown; Japan, Korea, and China were for the most part sealed books. India was locked, bolted, and barred by heathenism, entrenched in the caste system. In Turkey, Mohammedanism barred the way. The Greek Church seemed an impassable obstacle to the giving of the gospel to the millions in Russia. In Italy, Spain, Portugal, Austria, and Belgium, Roman Catholicism sternly forbade the preaching of the gospel, as it did also in South America, and in many of the islands of the sea. Even Mexico, our near neighbor on the south, was unapproachable. But a new day has dawned, and now there is scarcely a corner anywhere into which the light of the gospel truth has not penetrated. Bible societies are printing and circulating the Bible by millions of copies every year. All who will, may buy a copy of the Scriptures at a price within their means, while to those who have nothing, the Bible in whole or in part is freely given. The meaning of it all is that God has set his hand to the work; that the task of giving the gospel to all the world is soon to be finished, and then comes the end, “the end for which we sigh.” What Kind of Music Should Predominate in Our Denomination?
By George Ide Butler
At the close of the excellent camp meeting held at Lebanon, Pa., this year, the president of the conference made some interesting remarks concerning the meeting. He stated that he felt very grateful for the degree of God's blessing which had been present. One feature which he considered had been conducive to these good results was the singing, led by Elder J. S. Washburn. The hundred or more selections used were nearly all taken from “Hymns and Tunes.” These were mostly the old standard advent hymns, those that were sung in the earlier days of the message, and many in the congregation remarked that they certainly did have the old advent ring. I heartily agree with the president's remarks, that the singing of hymns expressive of the advent faith had an uplifting effect on the spirit of the meeting itself. And why should the hymns sung in our meetings not have an uplifting influence? This opens up a broad field of thought which seems to me worthy of serious consideration by all our people. Why do we sing in our services? Is it merely to tickle the ear, to enliven the feelings and sensibilities of the people, to stir their emotional natures so they will feel lively and bright? Many may think this to be the real purpose, but I feel that there is a much higher object. Singing in religious service is a part of worship. Paul exhorts us, Speak “to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.” Eph. 5:19. And there are the psalms. What a prominent place they hold in the whole system of Old Testament worship! They were written by inspired men, whose object was to honor God and to increase spirituality in the minds and hearts of all the worshipers. They are among the most beautiful, soul-uplifting writings in all the Bible. They teach humility, devotion, and consecration to God, and they present oftentimes wonderful prophecies. There is not a frivolous thought in them. The same is true of many of our “hymns and spiritual songs.” They all relate especially to the Lord and spiritual life. This is the kind of singing the Bible indorses. Such singing makes the people better. It lifts the soul above the low, jingling melodies of modern song. It leads the mind to God, and to the solemn things of eternity. How often attention is called to the second coming of Christ, when all the faithful saints of God will go to dwell in an eternity of bliss! If any people in this world should carefully consider the music used in their religious worship, securing only that which is of the right character, Seventh-day Adventists are that people. The spirit of our work is very different from that of the popular religionists around us. We live in a very frivolous age. Anything to make a sensation, to have a lively time, to tickle the fancy, to create mirth and make a stir, and to be popular and follow the crowd, is demanded; for these are the things that please and draw. How different the spirit of our message—the third angel's message! How different should be our contemplations! We are a people preparing for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We claim to be looking for that great event. Our papers and our ministers emphasize the great truth that Christ's coming is very near, “even at the doors,” and the Holy Scriptures authorize this preaching. If our ministers should teach this, why should not our singers sing it? The real work at which we aim, the object we seek to accomplish, is entirely different from that of the popular Protestant churches around us. Great zeal also characterizes modern popular religion, but thorough repentance for sin is not emphasized in teaching or practice. It takes but little moral courage to constitute their so-called conversion. Thoroughness, depth of penitence for sin, and a deep longing for a life like that of our Saviour, are rarely seen in the great revival meetings. We do not say there is nothing good in these revivals; oh, no! but they fail to meet the standard of holy living taught by Christ and his apostles. Hence the modern churches are being filled with nominal Christians, and their music is largely a reflection of their spirit. The songs they sing are not permeated by a deep solemnity. They do not abound with references to the soon-coming Saviour. Any lowering of our standard to meet that of popular churches in any feature is a dangerous departure, which we as a people must not tolerate. The music of a people, of a church, or of a community is largely a reflection of their sentiments, tastes, practices, and characteristics. This proposition cannot be disputed. None can deny the power of music to impress and sway the people. The writer is old enough to recall the time when the advent message was sung as well as preached. In the great movement of 1844 crowds came out purposely to hear the singing. The mighty power of the Holy Spirit accompanied it, and hearts were softened and made tender. The blessing of God went with it, and O, we long to see the same blessing accompany the singing of our people today! The Blindness of Prejudice
THERE is no ignorance so deep as the ignorance that will not know; no blindness so incurable as the blindness which will not see. And the dogmatism of a narrow and stolid prejudice which believes itself to be theological learning is, of all others, the most ignorant and the most blind.— Dean Farrar. “THE flower never cares who inhales its fragrance.”