Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 18, 1880
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
BALAAM CALLED TO CURSE ISRAEL.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
WITH joyful hearts, and renewed faith in God, the victorious armies of Israel returned from Bashan. By their late successes they had not only come in possession of rich territories, but had gained a most cheering assurance for the future. They felt that the prospering hand of God was indeed with them.
They were now on the very borders of Canaan, only the river Jordan separating them from the promised land. To the west, just across the river, lay a great plain, covered with verdure, watered with streams from copious fountains, and abounding in all the signs of beauty and fertility. They were eager to enter at once upon their inheritance. Their conquest of the Amorites and the giant hosts of Bashan had made them confident of easy success on the other side. Their anticipations were excited to a feverish height. They kept their eyes fixed with eager expectation upon the cloudy pillar, impatient to see it move and lead them on. As yet, however, it gave no signs of moving, but hovered above the tops of the mountains overshadowing the tabernacle.
The period of waiting was employed by Moses in preparing the people for the permanent occupation of Canaan. In this work the great leader's time and attention were fully occupied; but to the people this period of suspense and expectation was most trying, and ere many weeks had elapsed, their history was marred by the most frightful departures from virtue and integrity.
The high table-land which the children of Israel had long been traversing, suddenly subsides near the Jordan, leaving a plain several miles in width, and extending some distance along its bank. This was called the vale of Shittim, because of the great number of shittim, or acacia trees which flourished there, and by their shade formed an agreeable retreat. This sheltered valley had the genial climate of the tropics, but it was unfavorable to mental or physical activity, as the Israelites proved. Here many of the older people were reminded of their early home by the Nile; for just across the river flourished palm-trees in such abundance that the city of Jericho, on that plain, was called the city of palm-trees.
But agreeable as were their physical surroundings, the Israelites were here to encounter an evil more deadly than mighty hosts of armed men or the wild beasts of the wilderness. That country, so rich in natural advantages, had been defiled by the inhabitants. On every side were places noted for idolatry and licentiousness, the very names being suggestive of the vileness and corruption of the people. The chief god of this region was Baal, and on the heights above the vale of Shittim was the city of Beth-peor, where the most degrading and iniquitous scenes were enacted by men and women as a part of the worship of their gods.
These surroundings exerted a polluting influence upon the Israelites. Their minds became familiarized with the vile thoughts constantly suggested; their life of ease and inaction produced its demoralizing effect upon them; and gradually and almost unconsciously to themselves, they were departing from God, and coming into a condition where they would fall an easy prey to the temptations of Satan.
The Moabites had not been molested by Israel, yet they had watched with keen and jealous interest all that had transpired in the surrounding countries. They saw that the warlike Amorites had been conquered, and the powerful and well armed inhabitants of Bashan had yielded, before the mysterious Power enshrined in the cloudy pillar. An unseen influence was at work for the Hebrews, and this was accredited to the God of Israel; for all well knew that, so far as human skill and strength was concerned, it was on the side of the enemies of the Hebrews. It was generally believed in that country that prophets and sorcerers had power to curse persons and places, so as to frustrate their counsels, enervate their strength, and fill them with fear, terror, and dismay. The Moabites now determined, as did Pharaoh, to enlist the power of sorcery to counteract the work of God; they would have the Israelites cursed.
In this purpose the people of Moab were joined by the Midianites, to whom they were closely united by the ties of nationality and religion. There was, living near the Euphrates, a man named Balaam, who was reported to possess supernatural powers, and whose fame had reached to the land of Moab. It was determined to call him to their aid in this emergency. Accordingly, the messengers "of the elders of Moab and of the elders of Midian" were dispatched to Balaam, with valuable gifts to secure his divinations and enchantments against Israel. In this movement, Balak, the king of Moab, had taken the lead, and having called in the aid of the Midianites, was having the alarming message, "Now shall this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field."
The ambassadors at once set out on their long journey over the mountains and across the deserts, to Mesopotamia; and having found Balaam, they delivered to him the message of their king:—
"Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt; behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me. Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed."
Balaam was once a good man, and a prophet of God; but he had apostatized, and given himself up to covetousness, so that he loved the wages of iniquity. He still professed to be a servant of the Most High, though pursuing a course to gain the favor of the enemies of the Lord for the sake of the rewards that he received from them.
When the messengers announced their errand, Balaam well knew that it was his duty to send them back with a positive refusal. But like many at the present day, he ventured to dally with the tempter, invite his presence, and give room for his temptations. He urged the messengers to tarry with him that night, declaring that he could give no decided answer, till he had asked counsel of the Lord.
Balaam was not ignorant of God's work in behalf of Israel. He knew how Jehovah had displayed his power and majesty in bringing his people from the house of bondage. The destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts, the mighty manifestations at Sinai, the countless miracles in the wilderness, and the recent triumphs over Og and Sihon,—these thrilling events had spread far and wide, and with them all Balaam was familiar. He could see how terrible a thing it was for finite man to war against the infinite God. He saw the destruction of those who set themselves in defiance of Omnipotence. Balaam knew that his curse could not harm Israel. God was on their side; and so long as they were true to him, no adverse power of earth or hell could prevail against them.
But the ambassadors from the Moabites had expressed great confidence in him as one who possessed mysterious power to bring destruction upon armies or nations; and his pride was flattered by their words,—"I know that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed." The bribe of costly gifts and prospective exaltation excited his covetousness. He greedily accepted the offered treasures, and then, while professing implicit obedience to the divine will, he labored to have his course in agreement with the purposes of Balak.506
Here is a solemn warning for the people of God to-day, to allow no unchristian trait to live in their hearts. A sin which is fostered becomes habitual; and, strengthened by repetition, it soon exerts a controlling influence, bringing into subjection all the nobler powers. Balaam loved the reward of unrighteousness. The sin of covetousness, which God ranks with idolatry, he did not resist and overcome. Satan obtained entire control of him through this one fault, which deteriorated his character, and made him a time-server. He called God his master; but he did not serve him; he did not work the works of God.
There are men professing godliness to-day who manifest no more true love for God than did Balaam. It is solemn mockery to profess a faith which does not exert a controlling influence over our lives. Christ declared to his followers that if they made it the great object of life to lay up treasures on earth, they could not be his disciples. "Ye cannot serve God and mammon." The man whose affections are centered upon God will not be greedy for earthly treasure.
Satan is ever presenting worldly gain and worldly honor to entice men from the service of God. He tells them it is their over-conscientiousness that withholds them from prosperity. Deceived by his temptations, they venture out of the path of strict integrity. One step in the wrong direction makes the next step easier, and they become more and more presumptuous. They will do and dare most terrible things, when once they have given themselves to the control of avarice and a desire for power. If men would only seek for those things which are of priceless value,—immortality of fame and eternal riches,—they would give no place to the temptations of Satan.
The life of Paul was a brilliant success. The world, who knew not Christ and the power of his resurrection, looked upon Paul as one who sacrificed fame and honor and greatness for a life of ignominy, suffering and disappointment. But while his contemporaries who gave themselves to the service of the world and to the persecution of the pure and good, have long since forgotten, the name of the great apostle will never perish. It is immortalized in the records above, and has in every generation been enshrined in the hearts of those who love God.
In contrast to the life of Paul, how contemptible appears the course of Balaam, greedily seeking wealth and honor from those who hated the God of Heaven, and willing to purchase these by conformity to a corrupt people. Who can look upon his course without loathing? Had he been true to God, to justice and principle, he would have answered the messengers of Balak: "I am in principle connected with this people whom you wish to curse. Their God is my God. He is above all gods; there is none like him in all the earth. His majesty and power fill me with awe and reverential fear. Leave the service of senseless idols, and leave with them your iniquities, and serve the Lord Jehovah, the only true and living God."
But that cowardly, avaricious spirit, which had been so long fostered, now ruled the man with tyrannical power. He opened wide the door for Satan to take the citadel of the heart when he greedily received the bribe and invited the messengers to remain. The man had become spiritually blind. As it is too often at the present day, the glitter and tinsel of this world had eclipsed the glory of eternal things.
In the night season the angel of God came to Balaam, and said, "What men are these with thee? And Balaam said unto God, Balak, the son of Zippor, king of Moab, hath sent unto me, saying, Behold, there is a people come out from Egypt, which covereth the face of the earth. Come now, curse me them: peradventure I shall be able to overcome them, and drive them out. And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go unto them; thou shalt not curse this people; for they are blessed."
The next morning, Balaam reluctantly dismissed the messengers. But he did not candidly repeat the words which God had spoken; and he did not warn the Moabites that all their efforts against Israel would result in their own destruction. Balaam was displeased that all his bright visions of honor and promotion had been suddenly destroyed. Like a disappointed child, he petulantly exclaimed, "Get you unto your own land; for the Lord refuseth to give me leave to go with you."
GOD'S TENDER CARE.
By Gospel Banner
God cared for Paul and Silas,
He cared for Peter too;
And don't you think, dear pilgrim,
That he will care for you?
He also rescued Daniel,
From lions fierce and strong;
Also the Hebrew children,
In flames, received no wrong.
He cared for weary Jacob,
And gave him sweet repose,
Who dreamed of beauteous angels,
Ere from his sleep he rose.
He cared for tender Joseph,
While in a foreign land;
Though hated by his brethren,
God led him by the hand.
God cares for all his children,
And keeps them day by day;
From sin and every evil,
Upon the narrow way.
—Gospel Banner.
THE NATURE OF THE SOUL, THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD, AND THE FINAL DESTINY OF MAN.
FROM the Scriptures alone can we obtain satisfactory information concerning the nature of the soul. Reason may lead us to conjecture, but reason alone cannot give us confidence. The wise men of antiquity have reasoned without the light of revelation, and remained in unhappy uncertainty. We are shut up to seek light from the Scriptures, shining as a light in a dark place. The first question that presents itself to our mind will be, Is the soul of man a conscious and intelligent existence when separated from the body, immortal in its nature, and destined to exist forever? My object, in the brief thoughts on this subject, will not be to examine all the isolated passages which appear to present objections to the views I shall present on this question; but to inquire what is the current testimony of Scripture; and this not so much to present all the evidence from the Scriptures that goes to support my views on this subject as to suggest trains of thought for others, as to what is truth on this subject.
1. I should not think the soul of man an immortal, conscious, and intelligent existence, separate from the body, from the silence of the Scriptures on this subject. The Scriptures speak of the nature of man as plainly as they do of the nature of God; of his mortality, depravity, his perishing condition by nature. Yet in this volume, written by prophets and apostles, recording the teachings of Christ, their own teaching and preaching to men of all classes and conditions,—yet in all this volume, composed by so many writers, under so many different circumstances, and discussing so many subjects, the soul's immortality is never stated as a fact, plainly and explicitly, nor the subject discussed. This appears the more strange, supposing the writers to have believed the doctrine, from the fact that religious teachers in our day who believe the doctrine often discuss the subject. They speak of the soul's immortality in most of their sermons and exhortations, so that no one who hears them, or reads their writings, is in the least doubt as to their real sentiments on the subject.
2. I should not infer the doctrine of the soul's immortality from the terms used in the Scriptures in speaking of it. I shall examine but a few of the most prominent passages on this point, and refer the reader to "Bush on the Soul" for a full examination of this class of passages. The first mention of the soul is, "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul," or a living creature.
There is no intimation that what God breathed into man had an intelligent and conscious existence previous to its entrance into the body, or that it became such after its entrance into the body. But its entrance into the body made man a rational and intelligent creature. The Scriptures call it the spirit, the life. By whatever name it is called, it is evidently nothing more nor less than the principle of life which, before it entered the body, had no conscious and intelligent existence, and after it leaves the body has no conscious and intelligent existence; but, united, makes a rational and accountable being. This is what Paul tells the Athenians, "Seeing He giveth to all life and breath;" and what Jesus refers to when he says, "But are not able to kill the soul;" and what Solomon designates when he says, "The spirit shall return unto God who gave it." The breath of life, or the principle of life, that gift of God to man, returns to God who gave it; not as a rational and intelligent existence, but as the principle of life merely. Man cannot destroy it. As Paul says, "Your life is hid with Christ in God." "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear"—though our enemies kill this body, yet our life shall not be lost, but shall be restored to the body in its incorruptible state—"then shall ye also appear with him in glory." "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it." Though they kill your body, the principle of life shall return to God who gave it. And he shall restore it again, though apparently lost, to your incorruptible body; and thus shall you keep it unto life eternal. "For what is a man profited if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? The question does not speak of the happiness of the soul, but of the soul itself, as a thing that may be lost or bartered away. The previous verse calls it life; they mean the same thing. If the soul of man was immortal by nature, it could not be lost or exchanged for something less valuable.
3. From the punishment threatened to the ungodly, I should not infer the soul's immortality, but its destruction and extinction. The first penalty held up to Adam previous to the fall was, "In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." This curse was, after the fall, explained to Adam: "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." No intimation was given to Adam that he was to have an existence beyond the grave. The punishment threatened ended at the grave—sorrow in life, followed by death: "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." The prospect held up before Adam was that he should go back to the dust from whence he was taken, and God would take back the principle of life he had conditionally given to him. An extinction of being was the prospect before his mind. If Christ had not come as the resurrection and the life, there would have been no future existence for man. And until he was promised, there was no curse that reached beyond the grave. But there is a second death; and as there was an extinction of being in prospect before Adam, which was only prevented by Christ's coming as the resurrection and the life, the second death will be an entire extinction of being—a destruction for which there is no remedy, being a destruction of both soul and body in hell. The principle of life will be destroyed, and there can be no resurrection from the second death. "I have set before you life and death"—"the soul that sinneth it shall die." "For, behold, the day cometh that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble; and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch." "When the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed forever." David, speaking by the spirit, says: "Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, O my soul." "And gather his wheat into the garner; but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." Will the chaff remain burning, yet unconsumed, because it is burnt up with unquenchable fire? "And these shall go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal." This punishment is the opposite of life eternal. What is the doom here threatened? In what does this final, eternal, and everlasting punishment consist? Let the apostle Paul speak: "Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power." Then where will the wicked be after their destruction? They must be out of God's universe, or out of existence. "Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction." "Gather ye together first the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them." When burnt, do they become extinct? "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy." Not his happiness only shall be destroyed, but himself. "Whose end is destruction; whose god is their belly." Not only their happiness is to have an end, but they are to have an end.
The wicked will not rise with immortal bodies. Paul, referring to the resurrection, says: "He that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting." Here corruption and life everlasting are placed in contrast. Corruption is the opposite of immortality and incorruption. If the wicked are to reap corruption, they are not to be immortal nor incorruptible; "for corruption doth not inherit incorruption."
4. I should not suppose the soul to be immortal by nature, from the fact that eternal life, or immortality, is a conditional gift; both these terms express the same idea. God said of Adam in his fallen state, lest he "eat and live forever." God called a wicked man's eternal existence eternal life. These terms when applied to the righteous always imply an eternal existence of blessedness. "I am the living Bread which came down from Heaven; if any man eat of this Bread he shall live forever." "This is that Bread which came down from Heaven; he that eateth of this Bread shall live forever." "To them who by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality; eternal life." Immortality is a thing to be sought for. This does not appear as though all were possessed of it.
5. The future existence of man is predicated on the resurrection of the dead, and not on the immortality of the soul. Christ says, "That I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." "That every one that seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up at the last day." "No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day."
Paul says, "Of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question." "Because he hath appointed a day in the which he will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom he hath ordained, whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead." The final Judgment is here made to depend on the resurrection of the dead. "And have hope toward God . . . that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." The resurrection is the apostle's ground of hope. "If Christ is not raised, . . . then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." "If the dead rise not, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die." The apostle here makes the resurrection of the dead the ground of hope for future existence. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not even as others which have no hope." Why? because the soul is immortal? "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." "And the dead in Christ shall rise first." "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord from henceforth." "Their507works shall follow them."
This passage is not general in its application. The words, "from henceforth," limit it to a specified time. "For the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth; they that have done good unto the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation."
I should suppose from such language that this was the opening scene of rewards and punishments. Of a similar character is all the language describing the resurrection and final Judgment. "So shall it be at the end of the world, the angel shall come forth and sever the wicked from among the just." Who would suppose, from such language, that the mass of them had been separated previously? So in the parable of the sheep and goats; then shall he separate them and shall say, "Come, ye blessed," and "Depart, ye cursed." This certainly looks like the first and final separation; the opening scene of rewards and punishments. When the Son of man shall come in the glory of the Father, THEN shall he reward every man according to his works. This confirms the previous inference of no reward till the coming of the Son of man.
In Christ's interview with Mary and Martha, he did not attempt to comfort them as many would in our day, by describing the rapturous joy of a soul in Heaven. No intimation of this kind was made. For with all their regrets at losing their brother, we cannot suppose they would consent to have him called from such scenes to the sorrows of earth again. But Christ comforted them by saying, "I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live again." Martha says, "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He shall appear we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." We are not to see Christ as he is till his second appearing. "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." We shall not appear with him in glory, till his second appearing. And not only they, but "we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." We have the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba, Father. But the adoption itself does not take place till the body is redeemed. "For we must all appear before the Judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." We are to be judged only for the deeds done in the body. Yet if the souls of wicked men possess a conscious and intelligent existence, some of them have been sinning for thousands of years.
If the foregoing thoughts are correct, the redeemed will owe to the Lord Jesus Christ, not only their eternal felicity, but their eternal existence also. "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
THE REDEMPTION DEPARTMENT.
GOING through the Treasury Building, at Washington, a few weeks since, we were deeply interested in watching the various stages and processes through which the nation's currency is carried, in its manufacture, beginning with the pure white paper, and ending with the perfect bank-bill. After observing all this, we were invited by our guide to look into "the redemption department."
Entering a large room, he explained to us that thither were sent from all parts of the country, the torn or mutilated bills which the Government is pledged to redeem. He showed specimens of these bills which had been upon paper, in order to hold the torn fragments together sufficiently to recognize their genuineness. Some of these bills had been blackened and crisped by fire; some had been soaked into white pulp by water; some had been gnawed and nearly consumed by mice, and some had been turned completely black by the action of ink spilled upon them. "It is often a very long and laborious process," said our guide, "to identify these fragments and to prove the bills genuine. But the Government is pledged, at whatever cost, to redeem any bank-note that is sent here, if it is not counterfeit, and for it to return a bright, new and perfect one." "Sometimes," he added, "the applicants are often compelled to wait for months before they get their new notes; but every applicant is registered, and he is certain, sooner or later, to have his bill redeemed."
Was it strange that sayings of Scripture founded on such analogies should have instantly flashed upon our minds with such vividness? We recall instantly and especially these words of the apostle: "Waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of the body."
Every body laid in the grave in Christian hope, is an application for the redemption which has been promised and purchased by Christ. The pledge of such redemption is surer vastly than any guarantee of man: "And I will raise him up at the last day." How constantly do we find the Lord Jesus setting his hand and seal to this promise. Death is not "paying the debt of a nation," as it is often said. For the Christian it is rather the process of collecting the debt of grace. "That which thou sowest is not quickened except it die." It is bringing the old, worn and enfeebled body and presenting it to God for redemption. It may have been dismembered by accident, disfigured by disease, maimed by the sword, or blackened and torn to shreds upon the battle-field; it may have been soaked and whitened in the depths of the ocean; or it may have been calcined and dissolved into dust by the fire,—but God is able to identify it. And for it he will give back the new and perfect body, the body fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body. To wait for the Son of God from Heaven, is to wait for the redemption of the body, which he will most gloriously accomplish at his appearing and kingdom. Instead of looking so much at death and the grave as giving release from the body, let us think of them as the entrance to God's redemptive department, and be eagerly waiting till that redemption shall be accomplished.
—Rev. A. J. Gordon, in the Watchword.
DRY GOODS CHRISTIANS.
By Dr. Talmage
THERE seems to be in the churches a great strife raging. It is an Austerlitz of ribbons. The carnage of color is seen all over our religious assemblages. Along on the outskirts of the Sabbath audiences you see, here and there, a packet of fashion. But down in the middle of the church are the solid columns, blazing away through the service. Five hundred "broken and contrite hearts" covered up in rainbows and spangles. Followers of the "meek and lowly Nazarene" all a jingle and a flash! Ten cents for the missionary cause, and two hundred and fifty dollars for trappings! Church of God hung to the neck with gold chains, diamond locketed! Unsophisticated person traveling on two yards of silk, dragged by the lady going up the aisle in front of him—diamonds enough to give all India the gospel. The item of dress among Christian people on the Sabbath day is an outrage on the Christian religion.
For graceful and beautiful apparel we have admiration. But this strife in Christian circles, as who shall excel in costly millinery, and who shall dash up to the church door in gayest turn-out, and who shall make the most blazonment of wardrobe, is one of the greatest hinderances to religious advancement. Our ladies' hats and shawls are so fine, on rainy days we are afraid to go to church lest we get a drop on them. Our head-gear is worth more than our souls. We teeter and swagger up the aisle, to the disgust of good men and the grief of angels. Enough money is expended by the Christians of a large city, in excess of the requisite outlay for dress, to relieve all the poverty, and educate all the ignorant, and balk all the crime. Much of the piety of our churches is being smothered under shirred basques, and jabot ruffles, and Louisines. The poor are kept out of church because their plain apparel looks so bad in the contrast.
We want a great ecclesiastical reformation in this matter of Sabbath accoutrement. Show these religious peacocks out of the house of God. By your example make subdued and modest costume more popular than gaudy apparel. Do not put so much dry goods on your back that you cannot climb into glory. You cannot sail into the harbor of Heaven with such a rigging as that.
—Dr. Talmage.
LIFE.
[Life itself is a curiosity, but here is a literary curiosity which a lady is said to have been a year in arranging. The whole reads almost as if it had been written at one time and by one author.]
WHY all this toil for triumphs of an hour? [Young.]
Life's a short summer—man is but a flower; [Dr. Johnson.]
By turns we catch the fatal breath and die— [Pope.]
The cradle and the tomb, alas! so nigh. [Prior.]
To be is better far than not to be, [Sewell.]
Though all man's life may seem a tragedy; [Spencer.]
But light cares speak when mighty griefs are dumb— [Daniel.]
The bottom is but shallow whence they come. [Sir Walter Raleigh.]
Your fate is but the common fate of all; [Longfellow.]
Unmingled joys here no man befall. [Southwell.]
Nature to each allots his proper sphere. [Congreve.]
Fortune makes folly her peculiar care; [Churchill.]
Custom does often reason overrule. [Rochester.]
And throws a cruel sunshine on a fool. [Armstrong.]
Live well—how long or short commit to Heaven. [Milton.]
They who forgive most, shall be most forgiven. [Bailey.]
Sin may be clasped so close we cannot see its face— [French.]
Vile intercourse where virtue has no place, [Somerville.]
Then keep each passion down, however dear, [Thompson.]
Thou pendulum betwixt a smile and tear; [Byron.]
Her sensual snares let faithless pleasures lay, [Smollet.]
With craft and skill to ruin and betray. [Crabbe.]
Soar not too high to fall, but stoop to rise; [Massinger.]
We masters grow of all that we despise. [Crowley.]
Oh! then renounce that impious self-esteem; [Beattie.]
Riches have wings and grandeur is a dream. [Cowper.]
Think not ambition wise because 'tis brave— [Sir Walter Davenant.]
The paths of glory lead but to the grave. [Gray.]
What is ambition? 'Tis a glorious cheat, [Williss.]
Only destructive to the brave and great. [Addison.]
What's all the gaudy glitter of a crown? [Dryden.]
The way to bliss lies not on beds of down. [Francis Quarles.]
How long we live not years but actions tell; [Watkins.]
The man lives twice who lives the first life well. [Herrick.]
Make then while yet we may, your God your friend; [Wm. Mason.]
Whom Christians worship, yet not comprehend. [Hill.]
The trust that's given, guard, and to yourself be just. [Dana.]
For live we how we may yet die we must. [Shakespeare.]
WITTY, BUT TRUE.
Some of the sayings of that pious but witty English clergyman, the Rev. Rowland Hill, were remarkable for hitting the nail on the head. Not another blow was needed to drive it home.
Being very much grieved at the conduct of some of his congregation, who were frequently unpunctual, he once offered the following prayer:—
“O Lord, bless those who are in their places, have mercy on those who are on the road, and save those who are getting ready to come.”
He once said of a man who knew the truth but seemed afraid to preach its fullness:—
“He preaches the truth as a donkey mumbles a thistle—very cautiously.”
On a wet day, a number of persons took shelter in his chapel, during a heavy shower, while he was preaching; he remarked, “Many people are greatly to be blamed for making their religion a cloak, but I do not think that those are much better who make it an umbrella.”
Entering the house of one of his congregation, he saw a child on a rocking-horse. “Dear me!” exclaimed the aged minister, “how wondrously like some Christians! there is motion, but no progress.”
A professed Christian, who was addicted to drinking, asked him impertinently, “Now, do you think, Mr. Hill, that a glass of spirits would drive religion out of my heart?” “No,” he answered, “for there is none in it.”
A lady who professed religion, but whose daily practice was not in harmony with it, once said to him, “I am afraid lest, after all, I shall not be saved.” “I am glad to hear you say so,” replied Mr. Hill, “for I have been long afraid for you, I assure you.”
A Wonderful Change in Jerusalem
A WONDERFUL change has taken place in Jerusalem of late years, and it is probably now a more comfortable residence than ever before in its history. Mr. Schick, who holds the appointment of Surveyor of Buildings in the holy city, has lately issued a very instructive report. He tells us that ruined houses have been restored or rebuilt by individuals or companies, and buildings on the Peabody plan have been erected by associations. The streets are now lighted, and, for an Eastern city, kept exceptionally clean, and the aqueduct from the Pools of Solomon has been restored, and water brought thence to the city. Tanneries and slaughter-houses have been removed outside of town. The Sanitary Department is under the control of a German physician. Bethlehem and Nazareth are eagerly emulating the progress of the capital. In the latter place windows are becoming quite frequent. It is asserted that there is a fixed resolution on the part of thousands in Prussia to make that country as hot as possible for Jews, and it is not unlikely that this may, in a measure, increase the already considerable number now returning to Palestine, more especially as the German Jews are already a power in Jerusalem. The improvements are, further, likely to lead to many Europeans wintering there.—N. Y. Times.
An Old Anthem
An old Scotch lady, who had no relish for modern church music, was expressing her dislike for the singing of an anthem in her own church one day when a neighbor said: "Why, that is a very old anthem. David sang that anthem to Saul." To this the old lady replied; "Weel, weel! I noo for the first time understan' why Saul threw his javelin at David when the lad sang for him."