Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 4, 1880
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
NEARING THE PROMISED LAND.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
After passing to the south of the land of Edom, the Israelites turned northward, and again set their faces toward the promised land. Their route now lay over a vast, elevated plain, where the air was pure and cool, and the breezes swept refreshingly around them. It was a pleasant change from the hot, scorched valley and the dreary deserts through which they had been traveling, and they pressed forward, buoyant and hopeful. Having crossed the brook Zered, they pressed to the east of the land of Moab; for the Moabites and the Ammonites being descendants of Lot, the Lord had commanded his people not to molest them in any way.
Still pushing northward, the hosts of Israel soon reached the country of the Amorites. This strong and warlike people originally occupied the southern part of the land of Canaan; but increasing in numbers, and being attracted by the rich lands east of the Jordan, they crossed the river, made war upon the Moabites, and gained possession of a portion of their territory. Here they had settled, holding undisputed sway over all the land, from the Arnon as far north as the Jabbok. It was necessary to pass through this territory in order to reach the Jordan, and Moses sent a friendly message to Sihon, the Amorite king, at his capital:—
"Let me pass through thy land; I will go along by the highway, I will neither turn to the right hand nor to the left. Thou shalt sell me meat for money, that I may eat; and give me water for money, that I may drink; only I will pass through on my feet, until I shall pass over Jordan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us."
The answer was a decided refusal; and all the hosts of the Amorites were marshaled to oppose the progress of the invaders. This formidable army struck terror to the hearts of the Hebrews, who were poorly prepared for an encounter with well-armed and well-disciplined forces. Moses was filled with anxiety. He knew that so far as skill in warfare was concerned, their enemies had every advantage. To all human appearance, a speedy end would be made of Israel. Moses had implicit faith in God, but he had little confidence in the people. He knew that God would be true to his covenant with Israel, that his power would be sufficient to carry them through every danger; but he had been so many times disappointed in the people,—they had so often failed in their allegiance to God, and had so often been filled with rage against himself,—that he now had little hope of seeing them pass safely through this trying ordeal. Would they, he anxiously questioned, by unbelief and rebellion separate from God, as they had so often done before, and thus bring upon themselves disaster and defeat? He saw them hopeful because of their recent victory, but he could not discern a deeper humility before God, a firmer reliance upon his mighty arm, and a more lofty courage. He knew that obedience to the divine command would make all the difference between success and failure, triumph and defeat. If God's power were withdrawn, well might sinful Israel fear for themselves and for their children, in the day of peril and conflict.
Moses kept his eye fixed upon the cloudy pillar that enshrined the Son of God, and strengthened his soul with courage as he was assured that the Guiding Hand was with them still. He encouraged the people with the thought that the token of God's presence was still vouchsafed to them, and sought to inspire their hearts, by words of faith and holy cheer: This mighty God, who has so many times delivered his people Israel, is our God still. If we are obedient to his voice, he will be our guide, and will deliver us in every emergency. Therefore obey the divine command with ready mind and cheerful heart, and God will open our passage through the land where he has bidden us to go. The trials and hinderances which you now fear will be removed as you march forward with firm and resolute step in the path where God leads the way.
Moses not only encouraged the people to trust in God, but to do all that human power could do in preparing for war. Their enemies were violent and blood-thirsty, ready and eager for the excitement of conflict, and confident that with their superior skill and numbers they would wipe out the unprepared Israelites from the land. But the mandate had come from the Possessor of all lands, in view of the refusal of these nations to let Israel pass through their borders, "Rise ye up, take your journey, and pass over the river Arnon. Behold, I have given unto thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heshbon, and his land; begin to possess it, and contend with him in battle. This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of thee, and shall tremble, and be in anguish, because of thee."
These nations on the borders of Canaan God would have spared, had they not stood in defiance of his word, to oppose the progress of Israel. The Lord had shown himself to be long-suffering, of great kindness, and tender pity, even to these idolatrous nations. Abraham was shown in vision that his seed, the children of Israel, after his death should be strangers in a strange land, and should be afflicted four hundred years. But the Lord gave him the promise, "In the fourth generation, shall they come hither again, for the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full." At the appointed time, the descendants of Abraham were to receive the land of Canaan for a possession, from the river of Egypt to the river Euphrates.
Although the Amorites were an idolatrous people, violent and cruel, God spared them four hundred years to give them unmistakable evidence that he was the only true and living God. All his wonders in bringing Israel from Egypt, the judgments visited upon the Egyptians because they refused to let his people go, his mighty miracle in opening a passage through the Red Sea, and destroying Pharaoh's host; his wonderful works in the wilderness, the bread sent down from Heaven, the pure water brought from the rock, the punishment of the rebellious in Israel,—with all these facts those idolatrous nations were familiar. Sufficient evidence was given; they might have known the truth, had they been willing to turn from their idolatry and licentiousness to serve the living and true God. But none were to be compelled to believe, against their will. They were free moral agents, and must decide for themselves their future destiny.
Pharaoh once proudly inquired, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" He learned by his own experience that it was He that hath power to create or to destroy. So the light had been given in the revelation of God's power to those fierce idolatrous nations, that they might know the true and living God. That light had been spurned, rejected; they had turned away from the true God to serve and worship idols, and their cup of iniquity was well nigh full.
When the Lord brought his people, after their long wandering in the wilderness, a second time to the borders of the promised land, additional evidence of his power was granted to those heathen nations. They could see that God was with Israel in the victory gained over king Arad and the Canaanites. They had still another evidence, in the miracle wrought to save those who were perishing from the deadly sting of the serpents. Although the Israelites had been harshly refused passage through the land of Edom, thus being compelled to take the long and difficult route by the Red Sea, yet in all their journeyings and encampments past the land of Edom, of Moab, and Ammon, they had shown no hostility; they had done no injury to the people or their possessions. On reaching the border of the Amorites, Israel had asked permission only to travel directly through the country, promising to observe the same rules which had governed their intercourse with other nations. When the Amorite king refused this courteous solicitation, and defiantly gathered his hosts for battle, their cup of iniquity was full. God would now exercise his power for their destruction, even as he had fought against Pharaoh and his hosts.
Again the great Commander of nations had bidden his people "Go forward." In obedience to the divine command they immediately crossed the river Arnon, and advanced upon the foe.482An engagement took place, in which the armies of Israel were victorious; and following up the advantage gained, they were soon in full possession of the country of the Amorites.
It was the captain of the Lord's host who vanquished the enemies of his people. He would have done the same, thirty-eight eight years before, had Israel believed and trusted in him. They might have gained full possession of the land then, as they were obtaining it now. Here the Lord again proved to his people that he alone was their helper; for no other power could have delivered them in this emergency.
THE WAY OF THE WILDERNESS.
"He knoweth thy walking through this great wilderness."Deut. 2:7.
WHEN smitten by the plagues of God the pride of Pharaoh broke,
And Jacob's seed, their bondage o'er, went forth free from the yoke,
Out through the waste, with wife and child, those men of Israel press,
God knowing all their journeying through that great wilderness.
The sea, that lies across their course, like thread of tow is riven;
They thirst, and streams break forth from rocks—they feed on bread from heaven.
And Amalek and Amorite, His sovereign power confess,
Who drives, like drifting sands, their hosts along the wilderness.
Child of the living God, to-day, freed from Egyptian chains,
But toiling yet through rugged ways, barren and burning plains,
Write thee on banner and on heart this balm for thy distress:
He knoweth all thy journeying through that great wilderness.
No blast from out the ruthless north, nor red Sahara's breath,
Nor pestilence that creepeth forth from Asia's dews of death,
Nor hunger, thirst, nor arm of man too hard or long can press,
He knoweth all thy journeying through that great wilderness.
Ye fathers, bowed beneath the toil crowding each weary day,
Oh, sad-faced mother, girt with cares that drain thy life away,
Oh, mourning, broken, bleeding one, whate'er thy grief or stress,
He knoweth all thy journeying through that great wilderness.
Whatever cross, whatever thorn, is placed beneath thy roof,
Be thankful still for chastening, grateful for His reproof.
Until his hand shall bring relief, seek thee no sorrow less,
He knoweth all thy journeying through that great wilderness.
And when the lesson hath been learned, consumed the lurking dross,
And changed to fellowship with him the suffering and the "loss,"
Then shalt thou see, because his feet a path of tears did press,
He knew so well thy wanderings through that great wilderness.
Oh, weeping ones in desert lands, widowed and homeless now,
What shall ye have, when he shall come with laurels on his brow?
What shall ye be in that glad day when Sharon's rose shall bless,
And Zion's throned peaks, like suns, light up the wilderness!
The Present Truth
By Dudley Marvin Canright
THE PRESENT TRUTH.
BY ELD. D. M. CANRIGHT.
III. A warning message will be given to the world, immediately preceding the coming of Christ.
This is an important proposition, and, if it be true, it shows the importance of engaging in such a proclamation. Here, again, we might give a great many texts to the point, but have room for only a few. Let us first reason a moment. God is merciful, long-suffering, not willing that any should perish; hence he always warns the wicked of coming judgments in sufficient time for them to repent and escape them if they will. He loves his people, and does nothing without revealing it to them. Did God warn the world in the days of Noah? So, then, he will here. Christ says, "But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be." Matt. 24:37. Did God warn the Sodomites? Did he warn the men of Nineveh? Did John the Baptist give a warning message before the first advent? Did Jesus warn them of the fall of Jerusalem? How much more reasonable, then, that there should be a warning here. Did the righteous know when the flood was to come? when Sodom was to fall? when the Jews were to come out of Egypt? when Nineveh was to be overthrown? when Christ was to come the first time? Then will they know in regard to his second advent. Nothing is more reasonable and just than this conclusion. But let us hear the word of the Lord:—
"Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Joel 2:1. What is the day of the Lord? It is when the Lord comes, as will be seen by the following texts: "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up." 2 Pet. 3:10. This shows that the day of the Lord is when all things shall end. This is the time of which the prophet speaks:—
"For the day of the Lord cometh, it is nigh at hand." This fact is further confirmed by the language of verses 10, 11: "The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining. And the Lord shall utter his voice before his army; for his camp is very great; for he is strong that executeth his word; for the day of the Lord is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?"
Having shown what the subject is, now look at the prophecy. "Blow ye the trumpet in Zion." This was always done to warn the people of some important event. "Sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble." This shows that it is some awful event that is just pending. What is it? When is this warning to be given, this alarm to be sounded? "For the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand." Then when the day of the Lord is drawing near, is even nigh at hand, then is the time that this prophecy must be fulfilled. Will not God see that it is fulfilled? He certainly will, if he has to raise up men from the very stones to do it; and when it is thus fulfilled, what will the world hear? They will hear the blowing of the trump and sounding of the alarm here predicted.
Compare this with Isaiah 40:3: "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Here was a prophecy given 700 years before Christ. Age after age rolled on, and no one came up to fulfill it. By and by, in the wilderness of Judea, is heard the voice of a humble man proclaiming this very message. The proper time had come. God, who very jealously guards the fulfillment of his word, raised up a man to accomplish it. So it must be with regard to this prophecy relating to the end. When the day of the Lord is nigh at hand, God will lay the burden of his work upon those who will blow the trumpet and sound the alarm. All the powers of darkness cannot prevent it.
Take another text. "The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord. The mighty man shall cry there bitterly." Zeph. 1:14. Thus he goes on describing the terrors of that day, and then says: "Gather yourselves together, yea, gather together, O nation not desired; before the decree bring forth, before the day pass as the chaff, before the fierce anger of the Lord come upon you, before the day of the Lord's anger come upon you." Chap. 2:1, 2. This shows that in connection with that great day of God's wrath there will be a gathering message to prepare the people to stand in that awful time of trouble. Once more: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come." Rev. 14:6, 7. Here is another prophecy. It is in your Bible the same as in mine. God put it there. He worded it just right. He will see that it is fulfilled at the proper time. God's word cannot fail. This message will be accomplished.
When it is fulfilled, what will the world hear? Just the message here given, "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come." This, it will readily be seen, is an announcement that the time for God's Judgment to sit has arrived, and this announcement is made to every nation, tongue, and people; hence, it is a world-wide message. Now such a message as this could be true only in the last generation, because that is the time when the Judgment will occur. It would not have been true if given a thousand years ago, or five hundred years ago; for the hour of God's Judgment had not come then. Hence, this is a last-day message. It is a positive proof that, immediately preceding that event, God will cause a solemn warning to be given to the world concerning it. When the proper time shall come, and the signs shall appear, and God shall cause this message to be heralded to the world, will it be a matter of no account whether men heed that warning or not? Can men disregard it with impunity? Can they mock at it and denounce it as the work of the devil, and still enjoy the blessing of God? Can they please God by simply passing it by unnoticed? How did the men who rejected Noah's warning fare? and those who did not believe the words of John the Baptist, and other similar messages? And will not those fare the same who shall reject this, when God shall cause it to be given?
We are not now arguing as to whether this message is now being given; that is not the point. But we are endeavoring to show that such a message must certainly be given, whenever the proper time comes, immediately preceding the second advent. Let me call attention again to that oft-repeated assertion, that if we are only prepared to die, we are prepared for the coming of the Lord; and, hence, even though the Lord is coming soon, and there are signs which show it, and the warning is being given concerning it, yet it does not matter if we do not heed them, provided our hearts are only right. This, I firmly believe, is a subterfuge gotten up to lull men to sleep and to close their eyes to the truth.
To show the fallacy of this statement, look at it in the light of other similar events. Suppose the men who heard Noah preach had reasoned that way. Perhaps the flood is coming, said they, and perhaps it is not, we do not know; and it don't make any difference any way; if our hearts are only right, let it come. What would have been the consequences? They would have perished in the flood just as they did. Suppose that Noah himself had reasoned that way; who would have built the ark? who would have warned the world? Would not God have rejected him, and let him perish with the ungodly, while he raised up somebody else to do that work? Suppose Lot had reasoned thus when he heard of the threatened destruction of Sodom. Suppose, again, that the men who heard John the Baptist had argued thus: He says that the Messiah is soon to come, and that he is his fore-runner; may be it is so, and may be it is not. We cannot tell. What matter is it to us? When we see him it will be time enough to believe on him. What good will it do us simply to have our bodies put under the water? If we only love God and obey him, we shall be safe enough, whether the Messiah comes or not. Could they thus reject God's work and God's message with impunity? No; the fact is, God never causes any warning to be given unless it is needed. And when he does this, it cannot be ignored nor rejected with impunity. Those who reject it thereby give evidence that they do not really love God, nor his truth, and they are not walking in the light. If they were, they would discern the work of God, would hear the voice of the Master, and would gladly obey it.
IV. The Scriptures teach that when Jesus appears, there will be two classes upon the earth.
One class, the saints, will be brought out by this proclamation, and will not be in darkness with regard to that event, but will be looking and waiting for him; the other class will be those who do not believe the signs nor regard the warning, but are scoffing at these things; and upon them that day will come as a thief in the night. These facts are clearly stated by Paul, in 1 Thess. 5:1, 2: "But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
"Yes," replies one, "that is just what I believe. That day will come as a thief in the night. This shows that the Adventists are mistaken, thinking that they can know something about it." Not too fast, my friend. The next verse shows that all who are overtaken by his coming as by a thief will be destroyed: "For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." Verse 3. This verse gives us the class who will thus be surprised by that event, viz., those who are crying, Peace and safety. But the next verse brings to view the other class—the saints. "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief." Verse 4.
Nothing could be plainer than this statement. One class will be overtaken as of a thief; the other class will not. Those who are thus surprised by his coming are found crying, "Peace and safety;" but what are the other class doing? This class are found in the light and watching. Watching what? The signs of the times. Here is one class preaching that the world is growing better, and will so continue to do until the whole world will be converted. They have no idea that the Lord is coming; they see no signs of it. They do not believe he is. Now, suppose that the Lord should come to-day; would it not come upon them as a thief in the night? It most certainly would; for they do not even dream that such an event is at hand. Hence they would certainly be destroyed; for this is the very class spoken of. Christ says it shall come upon them as a snare. Luke 21:35. They have fixed their attention on something away in the future, and are utterly blind with regard to the great and terrible events of the end of all things. The first they will know of it they will find themselves overtaken by it, and utterly unprepared for it.
2 Pet. 3:3, 4, brings out additional facts touching these two classes in the last days. "Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation." The time mentioned is the last days. What will come then? Scoffers. A scoffer is one who ridicules and makes sport of what somebody else is saying. But what is the subject about which they are scoffing? Their words show plainly what it is, viz., the coming of the Lord; for they sneeringly ask, "Where is the promise of his coming?" This shows that another class is preaching with regard to the promise of his coming. These scoffers proceed to argue the case. Why, say they, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation. This language lets us into the subject of their scoffing. They are scoffing at those who are calling attention to the signs showing the advent near, opposing them in their work and trying to meet their arguments. This shows, 1. That in the last days one class will be found opposing and making sport of the coming of Christ. 2. That another class will be doing exactly the opposite of that, viz., preaching it and proving it. This, again, shows that there will be two opposite classes, the same as our proposition asserts. Daniel gives us some information on this. Speaking of the time of the end, the angel said to Daniel, "Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand." Dan. 12:9, 10. This is in harmony with the other texts showing that the wicked will not understand with regard to the end, but the wise will understand. The same fact is brought out in Matt. 24:44-51. "Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his Lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his Lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods." Verses 44-47.
This is the position of the faithful and wise servant. When the Lord comes he finds him giving the household meat in due season. We have already shown what that means, viz., to be teaching truths which are applicable at that time. Now, what would be present truth just before the Lord comes? Would it not be the signs of the times, the fulfillment of the prophecies, and a warning to the people of the approaching Judgment? Most certainly it would. The context shows that this is just what the wise servant is doing; for that is the very subject that is under consideration. This fact is further proved by what the evil servant says, whose work is just the opposite of that of the wise servant. Listen, therefore, to what the evil servant is saying: "But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the Lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." Verses 48-51. By this we see that the evil servant is saying that his Lord delays his coming; that is, that the coming of Christ is not near at hand, as the other servant affirms. Now, while the evil servant is thus preaching against the coming of the Lord, and is feasting and making merry with the ungodly, the Lord suddenly comes upon him and he is destroyed. This text certainly confirms what we affirm in our proposition, viz., that there will be two classes when the Lord comes—one class faithfully teaching the people with regard to the signs of the times and the coming of the Lord; the other class opposing this work, and arguing that the Lord is not coming.
THE SECOND ADVENT.
SAYINGS OF EMINENT MEN.
Hon. H. Montague Villiers, rector of St. George, Bloomsburg, Eng., says:—
“Whatever blame may be attached to myself or to my brethren in the ministry, for enforcing the duty of serving God on other grounds than those which the Scriptures have laid down, this, at any rate, must be clear,—the apostle considered the second advent of the Lord worthy of the greatest prominence in his ministry; and if this be clear, I am free to confess that I am ignorant how any one can venture to neglect this important subject. It does appear to me to be great presumption to omit a topic so scriptural, and still more presumptuous to maintain that any other topic is better calculated to warn the sinner to walk close with his God. When I reflect that there are special blessings to those who look for his coming, and special warnings to those who say, ‘My Lord delayeth his coming,’ I cannot but feel that it is my duty prominently to set forward the doctrine of the second advent.”—Lectures during Lent, 1843.
Stephen Tyng, D. D., of New York City, says:—
“Jesus will reign in visible glory among his saints upon the earth. . . . He has now, as regards his visible presence, gone to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. When the appointed hour arrives, the Son of man shall appear in his glory, and all his holy angels with him. . . . To this blessed kingdom of the Son of God multiplied prophecies of the Scriptures bid us look forward continually; and it is our blessed privilege to live in unceasing expectation of the happy day when angel voices shall thus announce unto his waiting Zion: ‘Thy God reigneth.’”
Hill, in his “Saints’ Inheritance,” says:—
“In the great view of the Saviour’s personal reign on a regenerated earth as the final and everlasting abode of his redeemed, I rest with confidence and delight.”
Edward Winthrop, M. A., rector of St. Paul’s church, Norwalk, Ohio, says:—
“The second coming of our Lord in power and great glory, in the sense of a visible and personal advent, has always been a cardinal doctrine in the faith of the church, and is inserted as such both in the Apostles’ and in the Nicene creed. . . . This was, from the earliest times, the hope of the church. This personal and visible advent of the Saviour is at the resurrection of the saints; but the resurrection of the saints is anterior to the millennium, and therefore the advent also is anterior to the millennium.” “As we are rapidly approaching the great crisis of this world’s history, it becomes us, in a devout and prayerful spirit, carefully to note the signs of the times.”
PETER'S HOUSE-TOP VISION.
By W. N. Glenn
MODERN epicureans find much satisfaction in the vessel of promiscuous animals, creeping things, and fowls which Peter saw in a trance at Joppa. They lay particular stress upon Acts 10:9–16, which tells what occurred during the trance, but do not read enough of the chapter to find the lesson intended to be taught by the vision. So many refer to this scripture as proof that under the gospel it is proper to eat anything fancy may suggest or appetite crave, that a few thoughts on the subject may not be amiss.
The Lord had a much greater object in view than the mere gratification of human appetite. The duty of preaching the gospel to the whole world was the lesson to be inculcated, as a careful reading of the entire chapter will plainly show. Some striking manifestation seemed necessary to convince the apostles that the Gentiles were to be included in the gospel message; for notwithstanding their commission was to "go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature," they had labored several years with the Jews only.
The day before Peter's trance at Joppa, one Cornelius, a Gentile, had a vision at Cesarea. He was a man who feared God, and Heaven responded to his prayers and good deeds. An angel told him to send to Joppa for Peter, who would tell him what he ought to do. Accordingly messengers were dispatched, and as they came near to Joppa, Peter went upon the house-top to pray.
"And he became very hungry, and would have eaten; but while they made ready he fell into a trance, and saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice, and the vessel was received up again into heaven." Verses 10–16.
While Peter was thinking about the vision, the messengers from Cornelius arrived, and the Spirit said to the apostle, "Get thee down and go with them, for I have sent them." Now we will see how Peter understood the things that had been shown him. He went with the men to Cesarea, and "found many that were come together" at the house of Cornelius, waiting for him. Verse 28: "And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company, or come unto one of another nation; but God hath shown me that I should not call any man common or unclean."
So much for Peter's interpretation. Now we will turn to the 11th chapter and see how others understood it. When Peter afterwards came to Jerusalem (the news having preceded him), he found there apostles and brethren ready to upbraid him for having had communication with the uncircumcised. Verse 3: "But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them."
And after the whole story had been told to these apostles and brethren, we find their verdict recorded in the 18th verse: "When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life."
So far as the record goes, it did not occur to any one at that time, that God had literally cleansed all the filthy creatures of the earth and made them fit for food. This idea is of modern conception. Peter, to whom the vision was presented, and the apostles and brethren to whom it was related, realized only the lesson that they "should not call any man common or unclean," and that "repentance unto life" was free for all. And this is a lesson worthy of being taught upon the house-tops to the end of probation.
THE DECAY OF SERIOUSNESS.
By N. Y. Evangelist
ONE of the depressing signs of the times is the general decay of seriousness, which shows itself in many ways—in conversation, in literature, and in the occupations of life. How hard it is to engage anybody in a sober and earnest conversation! People like to talk well enough, and will talk without ceasing on the most trifling subjects. They are ready to gossip, to entertain each other with the small talk of society, but it is rare in comparison that we sit down with one who seems to delight in conversation of a higher kind. The mass of people do not even think seriously. They have no convictions, and do not care to have any, even while life is so solemn and earnest, and so swiftly passing away. They do not care to think deeply about anything outside of their special lines of business. They avoid the trouble of a real intellectual grapple with any of the great problems of life. They do not want to be burdened with opinions which are only formed as the result of thought, and which may compel them to some positive action or to sacrifice. They would get their views as they get their dinners, where they can be had the easiest, and take their creeds as they buy their clothes, "ready made," and as easy to put off as to put on. In politics, they go with a party; in religion, with a sect; to which they give up their own independent thinking, content to have it done for them.—N. Y. Evangelist.
ON THE MOUNTAIN TOP ALONE.
No matter how much social religion we may have, no one who does not spend hours alone with God need expect to grow in holiness. When we are to be used, there will be means employed to perfect us. Jacob, after having wrestled alone with the Lord, became a prince, and his character was changed and settled. God called Moses to meet him on the top of the mountain alone; it was a private interview. It is always on the top of the mountain, no matter where we are, if we are alone with God. We can never be strong in the Lord and the power of his might, unless we lie down alone before him. As we see his greatness we learn our own littleness; and we are taught our own weakness as we learn a little of his power. Comparing ourselves with others may lead us either into discouragement or vanity, but acquaintance with God humbles us in the dust, and fills us with the hidden power of Him who is strong to redeem and mighty to save. No matter how weak the instrument, if it is wielded by an almighty hand.
Prayer, Rest, and Refuge
People who do not believe in prayer lose a wonderful rest and refuge. When time and space, the wants, the bitterness, or the duties of life, separate us from those we love so far that our help is useless to them, our voices silent, our eyes blind; when we know that suffering, illness, danger, death, may lie in wait for them every hour, and no strength or longing of ours can avail to help them, where do they fly, what hope or comfort do they have, who cannot give their beloved into the safe keeping of an omnipotent God; who cannot pour out their tortured and anxious hearts to Him who heareth and answereth prayer? —Hope Ledyard.