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Signs of the Times, Vol. 10, No. 46.

Requisites to a Good Prayer-Meeting

Signs of the Times

Dec 4, 1884

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Dec 4, 1884

Requisites to a Good Prayer-Meeting.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
CHRISTIANS do not always make the public worship of God of sufficient importance. They do not realize their responsibility in the matter. The prayer-meeting, especially, is often dull, spiritless, and unattractive. But it need not be. Even where few love the hour of prayer, it may be made interesting and profitable. The presence of Jesus is not confined to large assemblies. "Where two or three are gathered together in my name," he says, "there am I in the midst of them." "If two of you shall agree on earth, as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven."
We may rest with assurance upon these promises; but if we would have them fulfilled to us, we must live so that God can consistently bless us. If we consciously cherish envy, malice, or any evil in our hearts, our worship is only mockery in the sight of God. We must confess and forsake our sins; we must search our hearts, and see that everything is put away that grieves the dear Saviour; we must be living examples of the transforming grace of God. But when we have done all on our part, we may come to Jesus in humble faith; and he will hear our prayers, for his word is pledged.
If the prayer-meeting is made what it ought to be, it must be preceded by holy living. "The kingdom of God, and his righteousness," must be made the first consideration. To meet the claims of God involves a cross. We are under obligation to honor him by a well-ordered life and godly conversation, and to do all in our power to win others to his service. And to do this requires self-denial. It leaves us no time to devote to selfish plans or pursuits. Frequently business matters receive careful attention, while the interests of the soul are made secondary. While this state of things exists, Christians can never have a convincing power with unbelievers, and the prayer-meeting will be destitute of the presence of the Spirit of God.
Let every one who professes to be a follower of Christ inquire, What am I doing for Jesus? "Ye are the light of the world," said Christ to his disciples. Can you, then, feel clear in inactivity and indolence in the cause of God? There is no such thing as selfishness in religion,—no such thing as a religion that can be enjoyed without benefiting any one. The truth held in humility will commend itself to the minds and hearts of others. The faith which works by love, and purifies the heart, cannot be kept bottled up like some precious perfume. The light of the Christian is not to be put under a bushel, but on a candle-stick, that it may give light to all that are in the house.
Christian friends, will you consider how you can make the prayer-meeting interesting? You can do this if you will. Do not feel that God will care for the meeting, and you have nothing to do. He has given you ability, and he requires you to use it. In the plan of salvation, man must co-operate with God. He has duties to perform as well as hopes to entertain. In the first place, you are not to forsake the assembling of yourselves together. Be prompt and regular in your attendance. Do not let trifles keep you away from the house of prayer. Though there may be but two or three who meet together, be in your place at the time appointed.
Before leaving home, go to God in secret prayer. Plead with him for his blessing, and He who "seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." With your heart softened by the love of Jesus, go to the meeting, feeling that you are personally responsible for its success. If but few attend, you should feel under double responsibility. You are in the service of God, and should do what you can with your talent, tact, and skill to make his worship interesting. You bestow care and thought on business matters; you labor to make them a success. Would you do less for the worship of God? Are not eternal interests of far greater importance than those that are earthly? In this matter act like intelligent, rational beings. Do not so burden yourselves with temporal cares that you will have no life and energy for the prayer-meeting. God will work with your efforts; but he will not bless you in indolence and carelessness. He speaks to hearts that feel, to consciences that respond to his claims.
When you speak or pray, make an effort to speak in clear tones, loud enough to be heard by all. You do not address your family in a whisper, but in a cheerful, pleasant, audible voice; why not let the same distinct and agreeable tones be heard in the prayer-meeting? If you have never learned to talk aloud when speaking of Jesus, let this be one of your first lessons. If you have been in the habit of praying so that no one present could understand what you said, reserve all such whispered prayers for the closet. How can the prayer-meeting be made interesting, when the prayers offered and the testimonies borne are spoken in so low a tone that only an occasional word can be heard? Who can respond "Amen"? Who can be benefited by such testimonies, however good and fitting they may be in themselves? Who can know how to speak words of comfort and encouragement, or to help those who need help?
Many prayers and testimonies are as destitute of the Spirit of God as a dry sponge is of moisture; for there is no Jesus abiding in the heart. This makes the prayer-meeting cold and lifeless, and it is no wonder that children dread such seasons. Bring no dull, complaining spirit into the prayer-meeting. Do not compare notes to see how sorrowful a story you can tell. There is enough to talk about without raising one doleful strain. When we are willing to come as little children, conscious of our own weakness, and willing to be instructed by the Divine Teacher, our hearts will be filled with the love of Jesus, and we shall long to speak of his matchless worth. We shall cease to talk of self. Our trials will look so small that we shall forget to mention them. We have many blessings. Let us cultivate gratitude, and talk of the goodness of God.
We should individually know Jesus as a sin-pardoning Saviour. We should be able to testify to his compassionate love, and the virtues of the cleansing stream that washes away the stains of sin. Why not speak often one to another of the blessed hope held out before us in the great plan of salvation? Why not talk of the heavenly inheritance and of the rich promises of God? Jesus lives to intercede for us; then let us be glad. Let us come before the Lord with gratitude and praise in our hearts and on our lips. Let us, with rejoicing, speak to one another "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody" in our hearts to the Lord. "Whoso offereth praise," says the Creator, "glorifieth me." Let us not withhold the tribute that is his due.
Full to overflowing will be the heart that is transformed by grace. Divine love will be revealed in the manner, in the speech, in the life. The Christian will enjoy communion with his Maker; he will enjoy the precious privileges of his high calling in Christ Jesus. We want calm devotion; we want the courage and hope to be derived from worshiping God with his people; but we must also have activity and energy, for we have a work to do. "Ye are a chosen generation," says Peter, "a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that ye should show forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."
Let us who have experienced these rich blessings seek to draw others to the Saviour, that they may share the light that shines upon our pathway. Let us point them to Jesus, and say, "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." The highest commendation we can receive as Christian workers is to say that we present Christ lifted up on the cross as the object of supreme desire; and how can we do this better than by making religion attractive? Let us show that to us the worship of God is not drudgery and dry form, but spirit and life.

Christ’s Coming and Reward

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

HUNGERINGS.

By Mrs. M. J. Bahler

BY MRS. M. J. BAHLER.
Oh, give me that patience, dear Jesus, Which never will fail, though the load Be such that I'm bowed, while I bear it, E'en down to the earth's dewy sod.
Oh, grant me that sweet resignation Which can sing though mine eyes dim with tears. Oh, help me to smile 'mid the shadows, And by faith chase away chilling fears.
Oh, grant me endurance, my Saviour, Though darkness envelop my path, So thick that e'en glimmer of starlight Is hidden by storm-clouds of wrath.
Oh, help! lest I stumble in weakness, Dear Jesus; I only can stand By clinging most firmly, most closely To thee, and thy powerful hand.

Nearness to Christ

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon

NEARNESS to the Saviour will necessarily involve greatness of love to him. As nearness to the sun increases the temperature of the various planets, so near and intimate communion with Jesus raises the heat of the soul's affections towards him.—Spurgeon.

"Babylon is Fallen."

By Alonzo T. Jones

[THE following picture of the condition of the Christian world, was given by Rev. Arthur T. Pierson in a sermon before the Ministerial Convention of Philadelphia, in September, 1884. This is only a part of the sermon however. We have selected some of the most striking portions; but in what is here given, as well as in much more that might be given, there is food for much solemn reflection by all. And in view of it who will say that the Third Angel's Message is out of place, in calling upon the people to come out of her, and keep the "commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus"?]
Our church-life is undermined by worldliness. Between the church and world no line of separation exists, except in the fact of church-membership. When our Lord bids us "keep ourselves unspotted from the world," and "hate even the garment spotted with the flesh," he means that in close contact, not to say conformity, there is contagion; the infection of a worldly spirit, caught by the church, infests her whole life, and is fatal to spiritual power.
It is not enough to be conformed, we must be transformed; these are the Bible conditions of true life and power. In how many disciples do we find them? In the church are thousands who, like Ananias, defraud the Lord of his dues; like Simon the sorcerer, estimate spiritual gifts on a money basis; like Demas, forsake Christ through love of this present world, or like Diotrephes, love to have pre-eminence. Our Lord, even at a marriage festivity, did not lose his character as the Son of God, but there manifested his glory and won disciples to believe on him. Church-members drop their character, as Christians, at the door of the gaieties of the world, as easily as an oriental guest shuffles off his sandals, and mingle indiscriminately with the devotees of fashion and frivolity!
The god of this world incloses our foot in his most ingenious snare, when he secures from the Lord's disciples the recognition of his favorite beguilements. Certain institutions have always been used by Satan to ruin souls; for example, the theater, opera, card-table, horse-race, and dance. The theater appeals, in a pure-minded man, to a normal, histrionic appetite; but the theater, as an institution, caters to our lower propensities, and cannot be sustained without ministering to vice. Booth himself sunk $150,000 in New York City, in trying to establish a dramatic school for good morals! And, as a fact, the theater shows itself a putrid carcass by the drinking saloon, gambling saloon, and brothel, the vultures that gather round it. A game of cards may be innocent, but, for centuries, has been filthy with the defiling touch of gamblers and pickpockets. The horse-race may attract, as a simple exhibition of the beauty and speed of the noblest of all animals; but as an institution it is an open door to hell. The dance may be conducted by innocent maids and stainless men, but as it exists in society, it deserves but one name, "lascivious."
And yet Satan, by his wiles, secures from intelligent disciples a sanction if not an apology for these gilded gateways to perdition, and even persuades some ministers to lend sanction to the traps by which he takes the feet of the young.
Separation from the world there must be. The Roman soldiers, after a night's revel, at day-dawn cast off the works of darkness, put on the soldier's armor, and became sober; so from the moment of conversion, the course of this world is to be put away as among the works of our unregenerate life, and the armor of light to be put on, never to be taken off. Like Daniel in Babylon, we must present a perpetual contrast to our surroundings, and be isolated and insulated spiritually, in order to be filled and charged with the life of God. By our fruits we must be known, and as the chestnut oak is not a chestnut, because, though having bark and leaf like that tree, it bears acorns, so no outward resemblance makes a disciple.
The New Testament puts the heaviest stress upon an unworldly life. Yet in the church we find a few decided lovers of God, thousands of decided lovers of the world, and thousands more vainly trying to compromise between two principles and courses of life, as utterly at war as light and darkness. The bulk of professing Christians are not consecrated men and women; they belong to the "worldly holy" or "wholly worldly." With thousands upon thousands, there is a vain dependence upon a dead faith, or dead works, or connection with a State church, instead of the righteousness of God wrought in them by the Holy Spirit.
A worldly church prevents conversion of sinners. More and more the eyes of men become blinded and sealed to the value of divine things, and our own unworldliness presents no contrast. More and more eternal things are practically disregarded; the awful warnings of God's word and providence are unheard and unheeded, like the earthquake when Hannibal fought the Romans at Thrasymene. We thunder in the ears of men the terrible truths of God, but they are deaf and dead, and the very church itself so grieves and quenches the Spirit by fellowship with evil that there is no power in the Lord's people to convert souls. The witness of a separate and sanctified life is gone, and the witness of the tongue of fire is gone with it!
"Four-fifths of the nominal membership of our churches add nothing to their real power; they are either a dead weight or a positive hindrance to the advance of the gospel; they help to fill up the gulf between the churches and the world, and break down the distinction between the truly regenerate and the enemies of God and the truth." How can we expect God to permit rapid and wide diffusion of a low grade of religious life? As it is, he selects the few, the advance guard of Christians, to carry the cross into the enemies' country. He permits difficulties and dangers to face them, that turn back all but heroic, devoted souls. In the race for worldly treasure and pleasure, in the worship of mammon, in the loss of a vivid sense of the reality and verity of spiritual things, in the awful lack of power to prevail in prayer, in the absence of that grand concurrent witness of an unworldly life, more weighty than any testimony of the lips, we also lose all true power to go forth conquering and to conquer. Zion is not fair as the moon nor clear as the sun, and cannot be terrible as an army with banners.
One of the most startling facts of our church-life is the absence of personal service in saving souls. Service, with the bulk of nominal disciples, seems lost sight of in salvation, which is itself sought with but feeble and spasmodic effort. I have been wont to urge upon disciples a systematic seeking of souls, putting the question pointedly: "Do you know that you have ever been instrumental in leading one soul to Christ"? only to be met in hundreds of cases with the sad confession that there has been no effort put forth in that direction.
Where are the marks of consecrated capital, of property acquired and administered by disciples as stewards of God? Pounds to mammon; pence to God! Money enough in the superfluities of rich Christians to supply the necessities of a world's poor, and carry the gospel to every unsaved soul.
In the light of the New Testament, the question may be raised whether it is right for a disciple to be rich. Paul and James warn not only against dishonest gains and selfish or sensual indulgences, but against the lust of accumulation, the curse of canker and rust which gathers about hoarded treasure. Moses turned his back at once upon the three lusts—ambition, appetite, and avarice, when in one heroic resolve he forsook the court of Pharaoh, the pleasures of sin, and the treasures of Egypt. During Old Testament times, when the doors of the gospel had not been thrown open to the whole world, the avenues for the use of money in works of charity and mercy, were comparatively few and narrow, and the flood of wealth accumulated. But now, with a thousand millions crying for the light of God, how can they who love Christ hoard wealth? Whichever way we look, the pleading hand of God confronts us, in the thousand demands for temporal and spiritual relief, and that hand can hold and use every spare dollar or dime of the Christian world. How can disciples grow rich but by shutting their eyes and ears? In 1875, $1,500,000,000 were spent in the liquor traffic—one dollar for every soul of the world's great host—while Christendom expended less than ten millions to evangelize the world! I knew one Christian man who spent for his own house, grounds furniture, and articles of ornamentation, five times as much as the American Board in all its missionary operations for a year. In the homes of disciples in this city, the value of pictures, statues, silver plate, etc., more than exceeds all that the churches jointly give to spread the gospel among the unsaved.
I have been restrained for years from the frank expression of these deep and growing convictions by the cowardly fear of being misunderstood and called a "croaker." But let us have done with a temporizing policy. Where would the great Reformation have been if Luther and others had been kept from their bold assault on church corruption by the cry of pessimism? Where had been the mighty host of heroes that swept, like pioneers, to the very frontiers, if John Wesley had not dared, at risk of life, to set up a new standard of piety, demanding of his followers separation from the worldly fashions and follies of the Anglican Church?
In our reaction from the papal priesthood, we have swung to the other extreme. The entire loss of the sacerdotal idea of the ministry has left our divine vocation to be regarded as a mere profession. A congregation hires a man to preach; he is a hireling, to be directed and dismissed at will; the trustees and spiritual officers are his board of directors—to tell him what he shall do and say in his official capacity. The sublime scriptural conception that he is the "ambassador of Christ," "steward of the mysteries of God," accountable only to his Master, bound to declare the whole counsel of God whether men will hear or forbear—that idea exists no longer.
Brethren, much of the responsibility of all this low state of piety lies at our own door. Is our preaching what it ought to be, as to matter and manner? Do we preach self, poetry, philosophy, science, history, politics, or Christ? Can we say with Paul, "I have kept back nothing that is profitable to you; I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God?" Have we ever modified or qualified our message from motives of fear or favor? or boldly said to the Herods who sit in our church pews, "It is not lawful for thee to have her"?
When we have preached the whole truth, has it been in a godly manner, like Paul "beseeching men by the meekness and gentleness of Christ"? Oh, for that chrism, that holy unction, that makes the whole man fragrant, that imparts that divine manner that fitly accompanies divine matter, that, even in touching the most terrible truths, the guilt and ruin of sin, and the wrath of God, leaves on them a golden glory, an awful beauty!

Fame in God’s Service

The best fame is that which one acquires in the service and through the favor of God.

The Door of Temptation

If you would not fall into sin, do not sit by the door of temptation.

The Golden Rule.

By William Covert

THE golden rule requires us to do unto others as we wish they would do unto us. Notwithstanding the justice of this principle upon which rests all moral obligation between man and man, the natural disposition cries out against it, and declares that the only true rule to be governed by is to do unto others as they do unto us. We are told that it is an impossibility to obey the golden rule in all its bearings, as it requires us to regard other people's rights as sacred as our own. I cannot see any difficulty in this except for selfish individuals. These are never satisfied with equal rights, but want the advantage in every transaction. They love themselves better than the golden rule requires them to love their neighbor. With such, obedience is an impossibility.
The objector to the golden rule has suggested an improvement in the wording of this rule, so as to have it read, "Whatsoever men do to you do ye even so to them, for this is natural, and therefore right." Now let us test the strength of the logic in this revised copy. A, in business transaction with B, is defrauded to the amount of one hundred dollars. Now it is the duty of A to engage in deal with B, and defraud him in like manner, that he may do to B as B has done to him. But when A has succeeded in the matter until he has the advantage of B as much as he was beaten by him, it then becomes the duty of B to make another trial of his rascality in deal with A, and so on endlessly. But if A should fail to equal B in dishonesty, it follows, according to the natural version, that A is in the fault, because he has failed to do unto B as B had done to him.
But should B become wearied with his neighbor, because he has been more successful in trickery than himself, and attempt to chastise him, as a pugilist is often tempted to do, he would only place A under the necessity of retaliating in the same manner; but here we are met by an impossibility, because, if one man is physically able to inflict corporal punishment upon another, it is quite certain that the man who has received such treatment will not be able to give what he has received, and so he cannot in this case do to others as they do to him.
In some particulars this could be done. A man could bear false witness against his neighbor, and his neighbor in turn could bear false witness against him, and thus be in harmony with the natural rule of right. If one man should abuse another, the injured party could in many cases retaliate, but where is the justice in this? Should my neighbor defame my character, I in turn could defame his character; but there would be too much liberalism in this to please even the most liberal one. But all can obey the golden rule. I can do unto others anything that I in justice could demand of them, circumstances being equal. If I desire my brother or neighbor to speak well of me, I can speak well of him. If I demand that he shall respect my rights in any transaction, I can respect his in the same transaction. If I desire him to be careful of my reputation, I can be careful of his. If I think of publishing a report derogatory to my brother's character, I can, from a moral standpoint, do so when I can desire that he should also do the same to me. I have the right to desire his money, when I can at the same time desire him to possess an equal amount of my means. If I ask his assistance in need, I am entitled to it when I would gladly do the same for him in like circumstances. If I desire the privilege of dictating to him, I can have it when I am just as ready to grant him the same liberty with my rights. It is a perfect antidote for pride and vanity, as it prevents each person from parading self before his neighbor.
But in this sketch I can only suggest a few thoughts, which may lead the mind of the reader into a more thorough study of the subject, for I believe the golden rule is infinitely perfect, and is as enduring as eternity, and as universal as the universe, and will conduct all its devotees in ways of pleasantness, for all its paths are peace. It is the comprehensive commentary on the perfect law of God, and yet an elementary treatise for juveniles to study.
WM. COVERT.

Sins of Omission.

By George Dana Boardman

In using this term I do not mean to imply that what are called sins of omission are less positive than what are called sins of commission. In fact, sins of omission are the most positive of sins. For man owes to his Maker the unintermittent and perfect obedience of his life-time; so that one single sin of omission is a debt which he can never find time or means to pay; and therefore the Lord teaches us to pray, "Forgive us our debts." In fact, the parent sin—the sin of sins, that root sin of which it is one of the offices of the Holy Spirit to convict the world—is a sin of omission: "Of sin, because they believe not on me." Alas! most persons are troubled only with those sins which are called sins of commission,—outward, manifest sins. They forget that by far the larger proportion of our sins in God's sight are sins of simple neglect. The sinner's whole life is one black night of omission, now and then rifted by sins of commission flashing athwart it. Did ever a day pass over the head of any of us in solemn review of which we could truly say, "I have done to-day everything that God requires of me?" Oh, these sins of omission! Who shall count them? Who shall weigh them? Who shall ferret them out, burrowing without number as they do through the labyrinths which wind beneath that outward life on which alone we are wont to fasten our eyes? And as we consider these unconscious sins of omission with which our lives are compact and black, of all prayers that become our lips none is more fitting than this: "Cleanse thou me from secret faults."—George Dana Boardman.

Be Christlike.

By Charles Spurgeon

A CHRISTIAN should be a striking likeness of Jesus Christ. You have read lives of Christ beautifully and eloquently written, but the best life of Christ is his living biography, written out in the words and actions of his people. If we were what we profess to be, and what we should be, we should be pictures of Christ; yea, such a striking likeness of him that the world would not have to hold us up by the hour and say, "Well it seems somewhat of a likeness;" but they would, when they once behold us, exclaim: "He has been with Jesus; he has been taught of him; he is like him. He has caught the very idea of the holy man of Nazareth, and he works it out in his every-day actions.
A Christian should be like Christ in his boldness. Never blush to own your religion. Your profession will never disgrace you; take care you never disgrace that. Be like Jesus, ever valiant for your God. Imitate him in your loving spirit, think kindly, speak kindly, and do kindly, that men may say of you, "He has been with Jesus." Imitate Jesus in his holiness. Was he zealous for his Master? So be you even go about doing good. Let no time be wasted; it is too precious. Was he self-denying, never looking to his own interests? Be the same. Was he devout? Be you fervent in your prayers. Had he deference to his father's will? So submit yourself to him. Was he patient? So learn to endure. And best of all, as the highest portraiture of Jesus, try to forgive your enemies as he did, and let those sublime words of your Master—"Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do"—always ring in your ears. Forgive as you hope to be forgiven. Heap coals of fire on the head of your foe by your kindness to him. Good for evil, recollect, is godlike. Be godlike then, in all your ways, and by all ways and means so live that all may say of you, "He has been with Jesus." Remember his words, "Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart."—Spurgeon.

Hypocrites.

THE most dangerous enemies of the church are not infidels and worldlings, but hypocritical Christians. An enemy is far more powerful for evil in the camp than outside of it. One inconsistent Christian injures the cause of religion more than five rampant infidels. One backsliden minister strikes a more thrilling blow at the church than a dozen of Ingersoll's most eloquent lectures. In view of this, it is an ominous sign that so many ministers are departing from the old faith, preaching the "enticing words of men's wisdom," while they still pretend to be the elect of God. These men proclaiming falsehood from the pulpit, pandering to the spirit of the times with a perverted gospel, are the most powerful agencies of Satan in fighting the kingdom of God. When, in the history of the people of Israel, the destruction of Ahab was desired, and the Lord planned how to effect it, the problem was solved in this way: A spirit came forth and stood before the Lord and said, "I will persuade him; I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of his prophets." The plan met with approval, and the spirit, by speaking falsehood from the mouth of the prophet, accomplished Ahab's ruin when no other could have prevailed. Give the devil the "livery of Heaven," and he will lead more souls astray than he otherwise could. Put the deceitful, flattering words of human speculation into the form of a sermon, apparently supported by divine authority, and they are made thrice as potent for evil as usual.—Christian World.

Light Dispels Darkness

"GIVE light, and darkness will disappear of itself." — Erasmus.

A Great Gulf.

By S. S. Times

THERE is a great gulf fixed between the teachings of the world and the teachings of the gospel, on the subject of easy living. According to the popular view, the one thing worth living for is to have money to spend, fine pictures to admire, pleasant books to read, soft carpets for the feet, easy couches for tired limbs, and delicate dishes for the palate; and yet the God whom we believe in, and worship, has only revealed himself to human eyes and hands as One who was crucified, whose brow was wounded with thorns, and whose side was pierced through with a spear; and the gospel which he brought teaches that all pampering of the body and all undue indulgence of its desires, so far from being the supreme object of life, may be a snare and a stumbling-block to the soul. If there are any of us who really believe in our hearts that personal enjoyment is the true object of our lives, let us honestly acknowledge to ourselves that we are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, and so go back to crown with roses the forgotten statues of the kindly pagan gods who loved hot life and the beauty of sense. There ought not to be room in one house for both the cross of Christ and the ivy-crown of the wine-god, or the myrtle of the goddess of pleasure. "No man can serve two masters"—so runs the old saying, but the lesson is hard to learn. Nevertheless, it is one which must be learned sooner or later, when every man must make the deliberate choice whether he will count his own pleasure the chief object of his life, or whether he will yield his will, for pleasure or for pain, to the will of God. And on that one decision hangs every man's destiny, for both here and hereafter.

Youth and Duty.

By C. P. Bollman

"Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes; but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment." Eccl. 11:9.
SATAN, the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), is ever striving to blind the eyes of all, and especially of the young, by the pleasures of this life; and in this he has been so successful that a vast majority of our young folks, and many who are not young, act as though life was given to them solely for the pursuit of pleasure. These persons forget, if they ever knew, that "Life is real, life is earnest," and spend hours and days, yes, even months and years of the precious time which God has given them, in foolish talking, joking, and jesting, until, frequently, you do not know when they are in earnest. The more silly anything is the better they seem to like it; and their frequent attempts at wit would certainly be disgusting even to themselves if they would but pause to consider that "for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of Judgment." Not only is this true of the world, but professed Christians and even ministers of the gospel are found in the van of the pleasure-seeking, sin-serving host, seeming to think that youth is a sufficient excuse for any amount of frivolity.
If the young folks fail to attend regularly the stated and popular means of grace, there must be a special campaign of church fairs, festivals, and sociables inaugurated to get them interested in religion! But does it do it? No; on the contrary they are more than ever wedded to the so-called pleasures of this life. The average young man or woman fails to see much real difference between hilarity and nonsense clothed in the garb of religion, and that which makes no such profession.
The language of the world is, "Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth;" the language of God is, "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth." Eccl. 12:1. With which of these must the true Christian be in harmony? Paul says, "The carnal mind is enmity against God," and to be "carnally minded is death;" again he says, "If ye live after the flesh ye shall die." To "live after the flesh," no doubt, means the same as to "walk in the ways of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes." John says, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." 1 John 2:15-17. The great apostle to the Gentiles was not in harmony with the modern idea that "boys must sow their wild oats;" for he says, "Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Conformity to the world is contrary to the spirit of true Christianity; the apostolic injunction is, "Be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." Rom. 12:2.
The mystery of iniquity, the papacy, was conceived and brought forth by lowering the standard, and corrupting the primitive simplicity of the religion of Jesus, in order to make it popular; and the result is a formal and apostate church, as dead to true religion as were the Jews when they rejected Christ. And may not the same be truthfully said of the popular Protestant churches, who instead of rigidly adhering to the native simplicity of the teachings and discipline of Christ and the apostles,
tone down the plain, straight truths of the gospel; and, practically eliminating the law, they not only tolerate but encourage a formal profession of religion, so largely adulterated by the pursuit of worldly pleasures as to render its votaries scarcely distinguishable from the world, except by reference to the church roll.
People love to hear "smooth things," and dwell much upon the mercy of God, forgetting his justice and the immutability of his law, seeking first the pleasures of this life and expecting that eternal life will be added thereto; satisfying themselves with the thought that they are about as good as their neighbors, or as the majority of professors, forgetting that "for all these things God will bring" them "into judgment." Truly, 2 Tim. 3:4, 5 is fulfilled in these days: "Lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness but denying the power." May God grant us grace to obey the admonition, "From such turn away."
C. P. BOLLMAN.

The Alternative.

By Epsilon

TAKING a general view of Christianity, and considering its various creeds and conflicting theories, the queries naturally arise, What is the matter with Christianity? Why such a diversity of creeds? The skeptic answers: "The Bible is so vague and indefinite in its teachings, that men cannot agree on its doctrines." But the skeptic would better lay down the alternative: "Either the Bible is vague and indefinite in its teachings, or else those who profess to be guided by it are not careful to know and obey it." This alternative must be accepted. There is no evading it, and there is no neutral ground; and to be consistent we must take one side or the other. Many Christians do virtually admit that the Bible is vague and indefinite in its teachings. Some churches (or schools) immerse, sprinkle, or pour, as the recipient may desire. However this conduct may be justified, the world understands it to mean, "We are teachers and students of the Bible; but the Bible is so vague and indefinite in its teachings that we cannot decide whether immersion, sprinkling, or pouring is right." Those who flatter themselves with being liberal, often say, "It matters not what we believe, if we are only sincere." The world understands this to mean, "God gave us a vague and indefinite guide only to test our sincerity."
But what do these "liberal Christians" do when the Bible is opened to them and shown to be plain and pointed in its teachings? We leave it to them, and to those who have watched their conduct, to answer. When those who know the truth, present it, and give in its defense proof on proof by quoting many plain, pointed, and definite scriptures, all those who idolize their church instead of worshiping God, begin to use such sneers as, "bigot," "infallible," "Judaizing teacher," "materialistic." The world understands their conduct to say, "The Bible is vague and indefinite, yet these people are foolish enough to believe it is definite, and pointed in its teachings."
To the unconvinced reader, we desire to say: It is your privilege to know for yourself that the Bible is definite in its teachings, provided you are only willing to lay aside your traditions and preconceived opinions, and renounce all idols, whether self, "my church," or other things that stand between you and Him who is ever saying, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
The whole world, professed saints, and sinners, are showing by their conduct that the Bible is fulfilling its mission. It is separating the "wheat from the chaff." It is "sharper than any two-edged sword," making the closest divisions. It is, so to speak, analyzing the human family, placing the gold and the various drosses apart. It is like the pillar of cloud that stood between the few Israelites and the many Egyptians, a shining brightness to the few, but an inky blackness to the many. Beware of idols. "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
EPSILON.
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