WE often express our desire to have these words addressed to ourselves when our Lord shall come to gather his people. The text is very suggestive, and a little examination will show that much is expressed in it, and that it presents to us a very high standard of Christian life, an active, zealous, energetic, and continued effort to attain unto the greatest possible moral excellence. The words of the text are, "Well done, good and faithful servant."
1. The person thus addressed has done something. He had not that kind of faith which repudiated works; which would cry, "Lord, Lord," to Jesus, and refuse to do the will of his Father in Heaven; which makes void the law of God. Keeping the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus, well expresses the life of such a servant.
Very much of the religion of this age is merely emotional; it consists entirely of feeling. To feel well is the highest ambition of such professors; to do well is denounced as "legal bondage." Their cry is for "liberty"—not freedom from sin, or the transgression of the law, but—freedom from the obligations of the law; freedom to gratify feelings and passions; freedom to mix with the world and seek its friendships and its pleasures.
All our feelings should be brought to the test of that day when "God will bring every work into judgment;" when Jesus shall reward "every man according as his work shall be." And in view of this day and of its events we are told to "Fear God, and keep his commandments." Says the apostle: "He that doeth righteousness is righteous." Now as "All unrighteousness is sin," and "Sin is the transgression of the law" (1 John 5:17; 3:4), of course righteousness is obedience to the law,—the opposite of transgression or sin.
The Third Angel's Message of Rev. 14:9-12, is the last message given just before the Lord comes, and of course marks out the preparation for his coming. It contains the commandments of God. And thus to "do his commandments" will receive the approval of "well done" when Jesus comes. They who are found so doing will "have right to the tree of life and enter in through the gates into the city." Rev. 22:14.
2. They have not only done something, but they have done it well. Says the prophet, "Cursed be he that doeth the work of the Lord negligently." Jer. 48:10. The original has the idea of slackness, remissness, as well as deceitfulness. This is not spoken of him who refuses to do the work of the Lord, who rejects the call, saying, "I go not." He does the work of the Lord, but he does it in a slack, careless, or indifferent manner. He consults his own feelings, takes his own ease, while engaging in the work of the Lord. Such rest under the curse. They have done, but have not done well. They were lukewarm, when zeal was required. Our times and our work demand energy. Like Lot, we must run for life, and stay not in all the plain.
3. They have not only done, and well done what they have done, but they have been faithful. A person may do and do well, and yet not be faithful. A faithful servant is watchful, vigilant, steadfast. He who works is not faithful if he does only half as much as he can do. If it be a fact that we are doing only a small part of what we might do, we are not faithful to the trust committed to us. The fields are ripe for the harvest. The way is opening before us in every direction, and among the people of all nations. "Come over and help us," is heard on every hand. And all may do something. They who preach can renew their diligence, and put on more strength by drawing nearer to God. There is "grace to help in time of need," if we seek for it. The Lord has promised that our strength shall be according to our day; he will give more grace as we need. By waiting on the Lord we may renew our strength. Our cause is onward and upward. The message must and will go with power, and God will clothe his servants with power to carry it.
They who cannot preach can work in some other department. They can circulate tracts; they can spread our periodicals. They can give of their means to extend the truth. All can work; each can do something.
If it be indeed so, that there will be no starless crowns, then some among us must arouse to duty or we will receive no crowns. Many who profess this faith have yet done nothing to lead their fellow mortals to walk in the way of life. If they are saved thus no one could ever point to them as the means of his salvation. Surely, they could not "enter into the joy of the Lord." They could not sympathize with him who laid down his life to save the lost. The pathway he trod was marked with tears and groans, with agony and blood. They do not follow him. Some weep on account of their trials and troubles more than on account of their own sins, or the thought of sinners perishing all around them. They who are sealed and protected from the plagues are they "who sigh and cry for the abominations" prevailing. Eze. 9:1-6. They, as did their Lord, look upon a sinful world with pitying eye, and sacrifice their own enjoyment for the benefit of others.
It is a solemn thought that there will be no starless crowns worn by the overcomers. We must each be able to bring our sheaves with us, or be left out of the company of the harvesters. And who would wish to stand with that company and be empty-handed? Where are our sheaves in the harvest? Where are the stars in our crowns of rejoicing? We cannot afford to stand with the self-deceived in that day.
Fellow-workers in this cause, we have everything to encourage us. The truth is plain, consistent, and harmonious. The Spirit of God is with it, not only to impress it on the hearts of the people, but to lead and guide into all truth and duty. The providence of God is opening the way everywhere for the proclamation of the truth. And his word assures us that victory will soon crown our efforts.
While we long for the appearing of Jesus, our hearts yearn over the multitudes sitting in darkness. We pray, "Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly," and yet our cry is, "Spare thy people; and give not thine heritage to reproach." Let us arouse to renewed diligence. God will give strength, and health, and grace, as we need, to fulfill his will. And just before us the "far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" rises to our view. Courage in the Lord, and soon the everlasting "joy of our Lord" will be ours.
The Lord's Day.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
(Continued.)
AT the close of our article last week, we were considering the charge made against Christ, that he violated the Sabbath. Those who make this charge are doubtless not aware of its real import, and we will therefore show them. The Sabbath commandment is one of the ten precepts of the law of God. It enjoins the observance of the seventh day of the week. Whoever breaks that commandment is guilty of sin, "for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John 3:4. To say, therefore, that Jesus broke the fourth, or any other of the ten commandments, is equivalent to saying that he was a sinner. It is hardly necessary to quote Peter's assertion that he "did no sin," for we do not know of any one that would claim in a direct manner that he did; but it is no worse to say openly that Jesus was a sinner, than it is to charge him with the violation of one of the commandments.
Read once more Christ's words in John 15:10: "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love." From this we understand that those who do not keep his commandments cannot abide in his love; and the idea which he conveys is that his abiding in his Father's love was due to the observance of his commandments. It will be said that it is impossible to conceive of such a thing as that Christ should not abide in the Father's love; this is true, and the reason is that it is impossible to conceive that Christ should in any degree deviate from the will of the Father. See John 6:38.
The words of Christ, in Matt. 5:17, 18, while they vindicate him from the charge of commandment-breaking, establish most firmly our conclusion that the seventh day—Saturday—is still the Lord's day. Remembering that the fourth commandment of the law enjoins the observance of the seventh day, declaring that it is the Lord's holy day, we read: "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets; I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill [ratify, establish, or teach]. For verily I say unto you, till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." As Christ said on another occasion, "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17. There is no possibility of mistaking these words. While heaven and earth endure, the law of God cannot be changed to the extent of the mutilation of a single letter. Then the seventh day must be the Lord's day as long as heaven and earth remain.
Lest some one should cavil at John 15:10, and say that we are now to keep the commandments of Christ, and not those of the Father, we repeat that since Christ and the Father are one, their commandments must be the same. Jesus himself answered this objection in advance, not only in Matt. 5:17-19, but in John 6:38: "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me;" and also in John 7:16: "My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me." Thus we have again proved that the seventh day is now the Lord's day, and must remain so until the end of time.
We now turn once more to trace its course through the New Testament. In the 24th of Matthew we have an instance of Christ's tender regard for his own sacred day. In telling his disciples of the future destruction of Jerusalem, he warned them that when they should see Jerusalem compassed with armies they should flee from the city, and from all Judea. "But pray ye," said he, "that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the Sabbath day." Verse 20. On this verse Olshausen says: "In interpreting this it must be observed that Jesus regards the law of the Sabbath as divine, and part of the moral law, yet without sanctioning the745rigid notions which prevailed among the Jews concerning the Sabbatic law as correct." Here, again, there can be no doubt that the day to which Christ referred was the seventh day of the week—the day which the Jews kept as the Sabbath. So, then, he recognized the fact that the seventh day would be the Sabbath forty years after his ascension.
After the ascension of Christ, when the disciples went about their work of preaching the gospel, we find frequent mention of the Sabbath. Thus Paul and his companions went out of Philippi on the Sabbath to a place of prayer by the river-side, and spoke to those who assembled there. Acts 16:13. At Antioch, in Pisidia, they "went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and sat down." Acts 13:14. After Paul had concluded his discourse, and the Jews had gone out of the synagogue, the Gentile "besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." "And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God." Acts 13:42, 44. Again, at Thessalonica, where there was a synagogue of the Jews, "Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures." Acts 17:2. When Paul arrived in Corinth, he made his home with a Jewish family, "And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks." Acts 18:4. This practice was kept up as long as he remained there, a year and six months, at least. Verse 11.
These texts show the custom of Paul and his companions, but it is not for that purpose that we quote them. We do not plead "apostolic example" in behalf of Sabbath observance or any other good act. That is to say, we do not keep the Sabbath because the apostles did. We know that they did keep the Sabbath, for the same reason that they refrained from worshiping idols, and from theft, because they had regard to the law of God, which enjoins the first act, and prohibits the others, and we do the same for the same reason. Our object in quoting these references to "the Sabbath day," is to call attention to the use of that term in the New Testament. There can be no question but that in every one of these instances the seventh day is referred to. Now the New Testament, as well as the old, was written by inspiration of God. That is, the Holy Ghost was really the author of the instruction there given. We find, then, that the Holy Ghost calls the seventh day of the week "the Sabbath day," just the same as when the Old Testament was written. The New Testament was written by Christians and for Christians; and whatever name it uses to designate anything, must be the proper term for Christians to use, and the only proper term. Therefore the proper appellation for the seventh day of the week is "Sabbath," or "Lord's day," for both refer to the same thing.
One point more. The New Testament does not recognize any day as the Sabbath, except the seventh day. This may easily be shown. James, in addressing the council at Jerusalem, said: "For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogue every Sabbath day." Acts 15:21. And Paul, in his discourse at Antioch, said: "For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets, which are read in the synagogues every Sabbath day." Acts 13:27. Paul and James are both speaking of Jewish worship. No one questions the fact that it was conducted on the seventh day of the week, and no one would make the claim that it was ever conducted, excepting occasionally an annual festival, on the first day of the week. Therefore when those inspired apostles said that Moses and the prophets were read in the Jewish synagogues "every Sabbath day," they most effectually restricted the use of the term "Sabbath" to the seventh day of the week. If something that is read on every successive seventh day, is read on "every Sabbath," there is certainly no possibility that any other day of the week can be the Sabbath. But the Lord says that the Sabbath is his holy day; therefore every seventh day of the week,—every Saturday, if you please,—is a "Lord's day." This statement is made without the slightest fear of successful contradiction.
E. J. W.
The Drift of Religious Thought
"STRAWS show which way the wind blows." So, also, the utterances of the religious press show the drift ("drift" is the proper word) of the religious world. The Boston correspondent of the Christian Union, after noticing the rapid strides of Spiritualism, and also an address on "The Methods of the Spirit in Revivals," says: "Perhaps God's Spirit is moving on the hearts of men all round. Perhaps there is soon to be a better day for the church and the world. Perhaps all theologies, and all philosophies, and society itself, are advancing rapidly toward a new manifestation of the glory of God—the vision of the Lord in the earth."
Who Is Responsible?
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
THE first number of the Western Churchman, a neat, well-printed eight-page paper, published in Denver, Col., has just come to our table. As its name indicates, it is devoted to the interests of the Episcopal Church in the West. We wish it well, and have no doubt that it will succeed. That which the most attracted our attention, however, was something not peculiar to the journal, but an extract from the catechism. In the Sunday-school lesson occurs the following:—
“Q.—What did your Sponsors then for you?
“A.—They did promise and vow three things in my name:
“First—That I should renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh. Secondly—That I should believe all the articles of the Christian faith. And thirdly—That I should keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same all the days of my life.”
This, our readers will understand, is the promise that is made at the baptism (sprinkling) of an infant. As we read it, the thought occurred to us that those who make it take a grave responsibility upon themselves. We do not believe that any realize how great it is. Let us see. The baptism of an individual indicates his death to sin, and his determination to walk, as the apostle says, “in newness of life;” or, as the catechism has it, to “renounce the devil and all his works, the pomps and vanities of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh,” and “keep God’s holy will and commandments, and walk in the same,” all the days of his life. Now it is evident that an infant a few days or weeks, or even months old, is not competent to make any such promise. It knows nothing of the sinful works of the flesh, nor of God’s holy will and commandments. This is well understood, and therefore his parents, or some other persons of mature age, make the promise for him. These persons are then called that child’s sponsors.
The question now arises, Suppose that the child, as he approaches manhood, does not manifest any disposition to fulfill the vow made for him by his sponsors, who is responsible? Such a case frequently happens. We have personally known many who have been baptized (?) in infancy, who courted “the pomps and vanities of this wicked world,” and reveled in “all the sinful lusts of the flesh.” It is barely possible that they nominally believed the “articles of the Christian faith;” but their faith was not indicated by works, for they lived and died in open violation of “God’s holy will and commandments.” Now in such cases are not those who made the vow responsible for its non-fulfillment? The very name that is applied to them—“sponsors”—indicates that they are.
A sponsor, according to Webster, is “one who binds himself to answer for another, and is responsible for his default.” Then those who make the vow above recorded virtually say, “I bind myself as surety that this vow shall be fulfilled in the future life of this infant; if he shall fail to fulfill it, I will do it myself, or will suffer the consequences of such failure.” But this, as all can see, involves difficulties that cannot be overcome.
1. It becomes necessary, in case the child proves faithless, for the sponsor to do his duty for him, as well as his own. This, however, is an impossibility, for no man can do more than his own duty. It is upon the supposition that a man may do more than his own duty that the Catholics base the monstrous doctrine of indulgences. Christ says: “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do.” Luke 17:10.
2. “The wages of sin is death;” and since the child lives and dies in sin, the one who has pledged himself to become responsible for his failure to live a Christian life, must die in his stead. But here more difficulties present themselves. (a) What is to become of the one in whose stead the sponsor dies? He cannot be saved, for he has never accepted Christ, and “there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” Acts 4:12. Then two men must die for the offense of only one. This would be injustice, and therefore cannot be, for God is just. (b) The sponsor has, no doubt, lived a life of humble obedience, and faith in Christ; then according to the promise (Rom. 10:9; Rev. 22:14), he must be saved. And thus it happens that he must both live and die! His own reward is eternal life, but on account of the sins of the one for whom he became surety, he must suffer eternal death. Impossible.
3. While there can be no doubt that the sponsor really pledges himself to one or the other of the above-mentioned impossible things, the Bible settles the matter thus: “Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine; the soul that sinneth it shall die.” “The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.” Eze. 18:4, 20.
Thus we see that in no way is it possible for sponsors to fulfill the vow that they make at the so-called baptism of an infant. Their action is nothing else than a solemn farce. But does this relieve them entirely from responsibility? By no means. It is not a light thing for one to promise that which he can by no possibility fulfill. If for “every idle word that men shall speak they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment,” how much more shall they be held to answer if those idle words are in the form of solemn vows.
The conclusion which any one can see should be drawn is that such promises are sinful. God never requires men to make promises that involve such contradictions, and that cannot be fulfilled. “But the child cannot promise for himself to forsake the ways of sin, and what shall be done?” Wait until he is able to make his own choice. If the child is not old enough to make an intelligent choice for himself, he cannot know what sin is, and therefore needs no baptism. “But the Saviour says, ‘Suffer little children to come unto me,’ and how dare we disobey that command?” You need not. “Suffer,” that is, allow them to come. Do not throw any obstacle in their way, and you will be obeying it. You may invite them to come, you may urge them to come; but do not think that you can come in their stead. The most that you can do in that line is to set a godly example for them; if this is done, they will undoubtedly come.
These remarks apply to all who practice what is called infant baptism. The inconsistencies herein shown up, should convince them of the folly of such a practice. We have not begun to enumerate the evils that grow out of it; their name is legion. For all of these, we ask, who is responsible? With what words will those who practice infant baptism answer, when the Judge shall ask, “Who hath required this at your hands?”
Christ’s Coming and Reward
“AND, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” Rev. 22:12.
The Ten Commandments in Eden.
By Uriah Smith
WERE the ten commandments known to Adam in Eden? and were they transgressed in the sin of eating of the forbidden fruit? We take the ground that they were known, and that the restriction laid upon Adam was so comprehensive that it could not be disregarded without involving the violation of the principles of positively nine of the ten commandments of the decalogue; and that the other, the Sabbath commandment, which was possibly not involved in the transgression, had a specific commandment given for itself, so that we may be sure that all the ten were known and binding.
Standing beneath the shadow of that fatal tree of the knowledge of good and evil, of which Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat, and beginning with the last commandment, let us examine them.
1. Eve saw the tree, that it was one "to be desired." Gen. 3:6. She coveted that which did not belong to her. Over the broken tenth commandment she approached the tree.
2. God had said that if they ate they should die. The devil said that they should become as gods. He bore false witness, and they believed it. In so doing they themselves bore false witness against God in their own hearts, and thus broke the ninth commandment.
3. They reached forth the hand and took that which did not belong to them, and in so doing broke that commandment, the eighth, which says, "Thou shalt not steal."
4. They listened to the tempter, entered upon terms of intimacy and friendship with him, gave their allegiance to him instead of to God, and thus formed a connection of the most unlawful kind. To enter into the friendship even of the world, James says is spiritual adultery. Jas. 4:4. How much more intensely so was the union Adam and Eve there entered into with the great enemy of their souls. Thus they broke the seventh commandment.
5. Inasmuch as God had told them that if they ate they should surely die, by transgressing they incurred death. They killed themselves and all their posterity. It was the most wholesale act of murder, the broadest violation of the sixth commandment, ever committed.
6. "Honor thy father and thy mother." Parents are dishonored by children when the children are disobedient to the parents' commands. Adam bore to God the relation of a son. Luke 3:38. In being disobedient to God, he therefore broke the fifth commandment.
7. Passing by the fourth as possibly an exception, so far as the letter is concerned, we come to the third. To take one's name in vain is not only to speak it irreverently, but to hold it in no esteem, to regard it lightly. And thus Adam must have regarded God's name before he could so boldly violate his express command. He thus broke the third commandment.
8. The second commandment forbids the worship of images. It is violated in esteeming the creature more than the Creator. Rom. 1:25. Adam pusillanimously said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Gen. 3:12. In the act of yielding to her (though not in his subsequent excuse), Adam idolized his wife, and thus broke the second commandment.
9. As to the first commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," all will admit that when, in the mind of Adam, God's authority went down before that of Satan, Adam took another master before Jehovah, and thus broke the first commandment.
10. And lastly, as to the fourth commandment, the record expressly states that a commandment was given for the Sabbath; for it was sanctified or set apart to a sacred or religious use, which could have been done only by telling Adam and Eve how to use it; and that was law.
Thus in the instructions which we know from the record were given to man in Eden, and in the wonderful method God took to test man's loyalty to himself, the whole law was comprehended. Let no one say that there was no law till Sinai. U. S.
The Missionary.
By John Orr Corliss
What the Gospel Needs.
IN his first epistle to the Corinthians, the great apostle exhorts the church in the following language: "Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong." Chap. 16:13. From the rebukes administered to that people by the apostle, we judge that this closing admonition was seasonable. No doubt, too, the church profited by it, for we find Paul afterward commending the same people for their zeal and vehement desire for the right. 2 Cor. 7:11-13.
If the church at Corinth needed this stirring exhortation, much more has it been applicable to believers in later times. The history of the church reveals a series of crises—seasons of reformation—when faint-hearted men gave way before those who were fearless for the right, and stood firm in the faith. Erasmus of Rotterdam believed the doctrines taught by Luther and his co-laborers, but lacked the moral courage to publicly proclaim them. The reason is obvious. He feared the opposing sentiments of the masses, who were steeped in corruption through the errors of the Roman Church. "You desire to walk upon eggs without crushing them, and among glasses without breaking them," said Luther, in addressing the noted sage. The timorous, hesitating Erasmus replied, "I will not be unfaithful to the cause of Christ, at least so far as the age will permit me."
How different the character of the great Reformer. When summoned before that mighty potentate Charles V., to retract his bold utterances against the See of Rome, and his craven minions, he said: "Unless I am convicted of error by the testimony of the Bible, I cannot, and will not retract. Expect nothing else from me. I am done; God help me, Amen." These noble words of Luther, uttered before the imperial diet, have lived till now, and will live to the end, to be admired, as a memento of his faithfulness to his convictions of truth.
The truth for these times calls for just such staunch adherents as was the intrepid Luther. Much is lost now for the lack of courage. Men believe; they understand their duty, but halt tremblingly, while conscience cries loudly, "Do something; do it, do it!" But one says, there are difficulties to overcome. True, and the surest way to overcome these is to tackle them resolutely. A resolute will is becoming more and more necessary, as time continues. There are so many now who treat the requirements of God carelessly, that courage has become as necessary as integrity in the performance of duty.
He who lives conscientiously can afford, if need be, to walk alone in the path of duty. But the word of God requires each one to be faithful in small things as well as in great. Said the Saviour: "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." Luke 16:10. One's faithfulness or unfaithfulness in small things determines his standing before God. We must also be faithful to the end. The answer of the slave to his would-be purchaser is worthy the careful study of all professed Christians: "Will you be faithful if I buy you?" "Yes," said the slave, "whether you buy me or not."
Let no one think he can be faithful in the service of God and meet no difficulties. There never was a time when trials and temptations did not assail the follower of Christ,—he who walks in the full light of the truth,—and there never will be. Notwithstanding some have tried to take the cross out of the Christian religion, the words of the great apostle still remind us that "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 2 Tim. 3:12. It cannot fail to be so, for he who follows closely the teachings of the Bible will conflict in practice with the majority around him, regardless of their profession. Whoever has the temerity to do this will certainly receive blows, sometimes too from that quarter which he would least expect—professed friends of the word of God.
This is not a new state of affairs either. Christ "came to his own and his own received him not." Every reformer from that time to this has met a similar fate. Through the long reign of papal supremacy, that church put to death its millions, because they dared simply to speak against abuses in the church. He who now attempts to speak against popular error, must prepare to be ostracised by the majority. But the promise to the overcomer is an eternal reward. Those only who fulfill the conditions given in the word of the Lord may hope for the prize. Who will be a victor in the race of life? Let him stand fast in the faith and be strong. J. O. CORLISS.
Siskiyou County, Cal.
By F. T. Lamb; L. H. Church
In spite of all opposition, the work is moving on slowly in this county. Since our last report we have been laboring at Oro Fino, McAdam's Creek, and Callahan's Ranch. For nearly two months past, Elder J. D. Rice has been in the county, assisting in finishing up the work in Oro Fino and McAdam's Creek. At the former place, six have been baptized, and a church organized. Others will join them soon. Four or five on McAdam's Creek have taken their stand for the truth. They will probably join the Oro Fino company.
Since November 5 we have been holding meetings in a small place called Callahan's Ranch. The attendance has been very regular, and the attention good. The noble Berean spirit has been manifested, and quite a goodly number have taken their stand for the truth. Between fifteen and twenty have commenced to keep the Sabbath, and others are much interested, for whom we will work and pray. We expect Brother Rice here in a short time, to help finish up the work. We hope, by the Lord's help, to get quite a number firmly "established in the present truth."
F. T. LAMB,
L. H. CHURCH.
Bastia and Ajaccio, Corsica.
By D. T. Bourdeau
To THE praise of our God, I am happy and thankful to still report success. Never have I seen a work develop and mature so rapidly. I have now been on this island a trifle over three weeks, and have used up nearly six days of this time in traveling not far from 400 miles, by stage, to meet urgent calls in these two cities, which are over 100 miles apart. I have started a Sabbath-school, and organized a church, ordaining the proper officers—tried men—to carry on the work in my absence. All names are attached to a pledge to pay tithes for the support of the closing work of the gospel in France and Italy. The church record books, and the account book for tithes, are in good shape. I set sail for Italy this evening at six o'clock. D. T. BOURDEAU.
Ajaccio, Nov. 11.
Success and Failure
By Samuel Longfellow
However things may seem, no evil thing is success and no good thing is failure.—Samuel Longfellow.
Lonely Laborers.
By Charles Haddon Spurgeon
MANY Christians have to endure the solitude of unnoticed labor. They are serving God in a way which is exceedingly useful, but not at all noticeable. How very sweet to many workers are those little corners of the newspapers and magazines which describe their labors and successes; yet some who are doing what God will think a great deal more of at the last, never saw their names in print. Yonder beloved brother is plodding away in a country village; nobody knows anything about him, but he is bringing souls to God. Unknown to fame, the angels are acquainted with him, and a few precious ones whom he has led to Jesus know him well.
Perhaps yonder sister has a class in the Sabbath-school; nothing striking in her or in her class; nobody thinks of her as a remarkable worker; she is a flower that blooms almost unseen, but she is none the less fragrant. There is a Bible-woman; she is mentioned in the report as making so many visits a week, but nobody discovers all she is doing for the poor and needy, and how many are saved in the Lord through her instrumentality. Hundreds of God's dear servants are serving him without the encouragement of man's approving eye, yet they are not alone—the Father is with them.
Never mind where you work; care more about how you work; never mind who sees, if God approves. If he smiles, be content. We cannot always be sure when we are most useful. It is not the acreage you sow, it is the multiplication which God gives the seed which makes up the harvest. You have less to do with being successful than with being faithful. Your main comfort is that in your labor you are not alone. For God, the Eternal One, who guides the marches of the stars, is with you. —Spurgeon.
"Go Ye Therefore."
GOD is always in advance of his people. He prepares the way for them. When the Spirit of God moves to enterprise, his providence has already marked its path and made ready the requisite means and appliances. This is simply conceding to the Head of the church the wisdom which is indispensable to the conduct of great undertakings in human and divine life. Any far-reaching movement projected by sagacious men presupposes foresight of the conditions needed for success and provision made for each stage in the progress of the enterprise. If the competency of the projectors and the sufficiency of their means be not in question, the agents employed by them have only to obey their instructions and carry forward their work. So, when the Spirit of God stirs the heart of the church and bids it go, it is sheer presumption to hesitate and question the wisdom of the movement or the sufficiency of the resources. "All power is given unto me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore," is the warrant for the undertaking and the pledge of the supply.—Baptist Weekly.
The Causes of Joy
Jeremy Taylor, the illustrious preacher at Golden Grove, himself a suffering and sometimes persecuted man, after enumerating vividly life's trials, says: "They have taken all from me. What now? Let me look about me. Unless I list, they have not taken away my merry countenance, and my cheerful spirit, and my good conscience. They still have left me God's providence and Christ's promises, and my religion, and my hopes of Heaven. I can delight in all that in which God delights, and in God himself. He that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, must be very much in love with sorrow, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down on his own little handful of thorns."
Whatsoever Is Not of Faith
By Paul
WHATSOEVER is not of faith is sin.—Paul.
Doing Nothing Wrong.
Mr. Spurgeon once said to his people: "Many church members think that if they do nothing wrong and make no trouble, they are all right. Not at all, sir; not at all. Here is a chariot and we are all engaged to drag it. Some of you do not put out your hands to pull; well, then, the rest of us have to labor so much the more, and the worst of it is, we have to draw you also. While you do not add to the strength which draws, you increase the weight that is to be drawn. It is all very well for you to say, 'I do not hinder.' You do hinder, and you cannot help hindering. If a man's leg does not help him in walking, it certainly hinders him. Oh, I cannot bear to think of it. That I should be a hindrance to my own soul's growth is bad indeed; but that I should stand in the way of the people of God and cool their courage and dampen their ardor—my Master, let it never be! Sooner let me sleep among the clods of the valley than be a hindrance to the meanest work that is done for thy name."—Sel.
Temperance.
Eight Reasons Why I Gave up Smoking.
1. WHEN I saw church members paying from six to ten dollars per year for tobacco, and only two to four for the gospel, I thought that if a man will rob God of his tithes and offerings from love of his pipe, it was high time to cast to the moles and bats "idols" that claimed such supremacy.
2. It often seemed to me that smoking clouded the light of God's countenance in Christian experience and dampened the fire of love and zeal in God's cause.
3. When I saw preachers seeking a secret place to "puff," I would think, If the deed is justifiable, why not do it publicly? or was it that they felt guilty and ashamed to be seen?
4. When I saw boys and young men, and women too, smoking the pipe, I felt that I could not say anything against it.
5. When I saw the drunkard and profane likewise, I would say, "I am a companion with those characters, in the pipe at least;" then my conscience would smite me.
6. That for the church wholly to abstain from both smoking and drinking, and set an example of total abstinence to the world, would remove two great hindrances to a more general outpouring of the Spirit of God.
7. Then when at devotion I smelled my own breath, so smoky, I wondered if God would accept the incense of tobacco.
8. That if it be as hard for the drunkard to give up drinking as for me to give up smoking, then I should have more feeling for the poor drunkard, and how can I consistently advocate total abstinence while I am intemperate in smoking?
After duly weighing all these facts and arguments, I determined to try to abandon the pipe. After I got the victory, I could not help praising God for the deliverance I had often wished for, but never thought I could obtain; and now I feel better in health, more lively in spirits, less peevish and fretful—have a clearer intellect and better memory, a peaceful conscience, a brighter and sweeter evidence, and nearer communion with God and his church. And I now say to all, if I have conquered, so may you; only rely on divine strength; for you will need it, if smoking is as hard a habit for you to give up as it was for me. The victory may be yours, and the result the same.—Sel.
Politics and Moral Reform
The field of politics is not the place—never has been since the world began—for the successful working out of great moral reforms. The wisest reformers the world has ever known discovered this fact long ago.—Oregonian.