Earlier text: LOST TIMEExtract from a Letter from Wm. Miller to his Son.
By James Sawyer
Low Hampton, N. Y., Sept. 3, 1845. DEAR SON:—Having an opportunity to write to you, I shall employ a few moments in so doing. . . . . Wickedness increases four-fold, and no reformation in the country for more than a year. Everybody is intensely engaged to lay up treasures on earth: none apparently seeking an interest in the new heavens and earth. If the virgins were ever slumbering, surely they are now. Few, very few are watching for the nobleman's return, and if the dear Saviour should now come, he would most certainly come as a snare on all that dwell on the earth. Then, now is the time he may come and the Scriptures be fulfilled. I would not say but there may be a few hundred second Adventists who are watching; but one thing I do know, the wicked and the nominal churches feel themselves perfectly secure as to any expectation that Christ can or will come this long time if ever. Remember, my children, Blessed are the servants who are found watching; you might better watch and be disappointed again and again than to have that day come on you as a thief and you be suddenly destroyed. God has commanded us to watch over and over again, and we must depend upon it. God will not be mocked: he has told us the consequence of that day coming on us unawares, and who can say he will not execute his word? He says, Not one jot or tittle can fail; then what a dreadful case must it be to those who do not watch. But you say you watch. What must we do to watch? Look for and expect. Who expects Christ every day? That man who anxiously desires him to come and knows no good reason why he may not come to-day, and is constantly saying in his heart, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly. But, say you, Will nobody be saved only those who are watching? How readest thou the Scriptures? Matt. 24: 42–51; Mark 13: 33–37; Luke 12: 35–46; also 20: 34–36; 1 Thess. 5: 3; Isa. 13: 6–11; 2 Peter 3: 10–13; Rev. 3: 3; 16: 15; 22: 14. All that do God's commandments will be safe. A hypocrite will always be very tenacious to do all the commandments and customs of men. Why? Because they do works to be seen of men. But the Christian first inquires of the Lord what he must do, and then obeys—no matter how great the cross. Why so? Because he seeks to please God more than men. Then the only safe ground for us is to watch and be ready, and see to it that we obey God in all of his commands; if we do this, we shall never fall. For what God requires of us, you will find in his word; for that is given for our instruction, to make us perfect in every good work. I hope to meet you all in the kingdom of God soon. I feel very sure we are not far off. He will come and will not tarry. But woe! woe!! to them who put far off the day of the Lord; for it will come as a destruction from the Almighty. My children, be wise; if you scorn the warning God has in mercy given us of his near approach you alone must bear it, yet I am persuaded, better things of you, though I thus speak. Let us hear from you. (Speaking of his little grandchildren launching out in human life.) But if they must go, I am truly glad that they are unconscious of the future. Protect them, O my God, in the voyage of life, and deliver them from ungodly, wicked, and unreasonable men. I must close, for I must start for Bristol, Va., this afternoon. My love to all who love the Lord Jesus Christ. And may the God of peace sanctify you to his glory. Write often and tell us how your hope is. I fear Satan may deceive you into a love for the world. If he wants to destroy your soul any cheaper way, he will tempt you with riches or the honors of this world. Remember riches are but for a moment of time, and honor is a bubble. I remain yours as ever looking for Christ. — Wm. Miller. I am permitted to offer this for publication by a son of Wm. Miller. Our Lord's coming is not the mere theoretical, speculative, and useless subject that many suppose. It is in all our creeds and confessions and hymn books, and yet how general the impression that it is not practical. Brethren, I believe this great doctrine to be, next to the atonement, the most awakening and sanctifying in the Sacred Volume. People say, “What difference does it make whether Christ comes soon or not? If I am only ready, that is the great thing.” I grant that to be ready—to be in Christ by living faith—is the great thing. But is it not important to the Christian to feel as Christ would have him feel? If Jesus himself says, “Watch,” and calls that man “an evil servant” who says, “My Lord delayeth his coming”—puts it away off in the future—if the strongest exhortations of the apostles turn upon this theme; if the attitude of watching is the true attitude, can we entirely please Jesus, and leave the element of his coming out of the question? I have counted nearly one hundred and forty places in the New Testament, alone, where reference is made to this great event, and where it is used as a motive to repentance, holiness, patience, devotedness, or activity in the divine life. No, dear hearers, this theme is not only the greatest, but, when properly considered, one of the most blessed, in the whole Bible. Others, as well as the great poet Milton, when contemplating this blessed subject, have been led to exclaim, “Come forth out of thy royal chamber, O Prince of all the kings of the earth! Put on the visible robes of thy imperial majesty. Take up that unlimited scepter which thy Almighty Father hath bequeathed to thee. For now the voice of thy bride calls thee, and all creatures sigh to be renewed.” Oh! this hope is an inexpressibly blessed one. All our fondest hopes center in it. “When He who is our life shall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory.” Everything is now disordered and sickly. “We are surrounded with funerals, graves, diseases, crime, and tears.” There is no home so happy, and no heart so joyous, but it has in it the deep undertones of sorrow and trouble. “There is no flock, however watched and tended,
But one dead lamb is there;
There is no fireside, howsoe’er defended,
But hath one vacant chair;
The air is full of farewells to the dying,
And mournings for the dead;
The heart of Rachel, for her children crying,
Will not be comforted.”
But when the expected Saviour comes, these woes and griefs shall have an end. “Then shall the buried babe, and the slumbering boy of promise, awake from the cold, dark sleep of years, no more to writhe under fierce diseases or to be torn from parental love. Then shall those loved forms, on which the cords are pressing, and over whose damp resting-places many a winter's snow has lain, and many a summer's flower bloomed—come forth to light and life, never again to fall under the power of corruption. Then shall the broken and scattered household be re-gathered, to separate no more. Then shall be the coronation day for them that have labored and suffered for Jesus. Then shall the martyr receive his crown, and the saint his ineffable portion. Then shall tears cease to flow, and sadness to depress. Then shall the exile reach his happy home, and the toiling pilgrim find his everlasting rest. Then shall the worshiper look upon the face of his God, and the faithful servant receive the transporting commendation and welcome of his Lord. Then shall earth's long predicted Sabbath come, and the eternal jubilee of the redeemed begin. Then shall the mystery of divine compassion be consummated, and this prodigal orb of ours, restored once more to her Father's smiles, take her place in the sisterhood of unfallen worlds, reflecting in richer luster and celebrating in grander songs the praises of Him who made it, and the mercies of Him that redeemed it with his blood.” Dear impenitent sinner, I pray you submit at once to the gracious offers of this great Saviour—King—the Lord Jesus Christ! Oh! I beseech you as one who loves your souls, embrace your Saviour now! If you only knew how precious he is, and realized the grandeur and preciousness of that redemption wrought out with his heart's blood and flowing tears, it seems to me you would come. If you refuse, there is no hope. If unsaved, when he comes, you must meet an angry Judge. Oh! he is coming, and coming soon! Now, take sanctuary in his precious blood. The day of mercy is rapidly passing away. The shades of evening are gathering. What you do must be done quickly. Inexpressibly sad will it be to die Christless and unblest, and go up to the Judgment a condemned and lost soul to all eternity. Inexpressibly sad will it be to take up that bitter lamentation, when it will be too late to remedy it, “The harvest is past, the summer is ended,” and I am not saved.—Rev. J. White’s Lectures on Christ’s Coming and Kingdom. A GENTLEMAN employed a mason to do some work for him, and among other things to “thin-whiten” the walls of one of his chambers. This thin-whitening is almost colorless until dried. The gentleman was much surprised on the morning after the chamber was finished to find on the drawer of his bureau, standing in the room, white finger marks. Opening the drawer he found the same on the articles in it, and also on a pocket-book. An examination revealed the same marks on the contents of a bag. This proved clearly that the mason, with his wet hands, had opened the drawer, and searched the bag, which contained no money, and had then closed the drawer without once thinking that any one would ever know it. This “thin-whitening” which happened to be on his hands did not show at first, and he probably had no idea that twelve hours’ drying would reveal his wickedness. Children, beware of evil thoughts and deeds; they all leave their finger marks, which will one day be revealed. If you disobey your parents, or tell a falsehood, or take what is not your own, you make sad stains on your character. And so it is with all sin. It defiles the soul. It betrays those who engage in it, by the marks it makes on them. These marks may be almost, if not quite, invisible at first. But even if they should not be seen during any of your days on earth (which is not at all likely), yet there is a day coming in which every sin will be manifest. A young man once picked up a gold coin that was lying in the road. Always afterward, as he walked along, he kept his eyes on the ground, hoping to find another. And in the course of a long life he did pick up, at different times, a goodly number of coins, both gold and silver. But all these years that he was looking for them he saw not that the heavens were bright above him. He never let his eyes turn away from the filth and mud in which he sought his treasure; and when he died—a rich old man—he only knew this fair earth as a dirty road in which to pick up money. THERE is one grand means of education within the reach of all, whether they have access to the text books of the schools, or the instructions of the living teacher, or not; and that is observation. It is presumed that every one has the privilege, to a greater or less extent, of listening to those who speak the English language correctly, and of reading books and papers of some sort, in which it is correctly written. By observing carefully how the best of these speakers and writers use language, what terms they employ, how they pronounce them, how they construct and arrange their sentences, and when reading the printed page, noticing how they use capital letters, punctuate their sentences, and spell their words, a person may acquire the habit of himself speaking and writing the English language with a tolerable degree of accuracy, though his interviews with the written grammar, the spelling book or the dictionary, may have been few and far between. But this power of observation seems to be employed by very many in the least possible degree. For instance, no one ever saw in any piece of print that could lay claim to any degree of respectability, the word Christ, referring to the Saviour, printed with a small c (christ), or the word God, referring to the Creator, with a small g (god), or the personal pronoun I with a small i; yet many persons, when they come to put these words into manuscript, will write them without a capital letter. Why do they do this? They have never seen them so written or printed in any ordinary composition. It is simply because they have not used their powers of observation sufficiently to know that these words never appear without the initial capital, and hence that there must be a rule for it, whether they know the rule or not, and that to be correct they also must so write them. So of other words which are invariably capitalized. Again writers frequently misspell some of the most common words, because they do not notice with sufficient care how they always appear in standard print. Thus, no one ever saw truth spelled with the letter i in it, yet we have known some to write it, truith; no one ever saw the word been printed bin, though this correctly represents its pronunciation; but we have known it to be frequently so written. One would suppose that the very looks of the word in this form would suggest to the writer that something was wrong about it; and that a person could hardly pass over it without thinking, “That looks odd; I do not remember that I have ever seen it so written; perhaps it is wrong.” And then, if he had no other means of information to satisfy his doubt, he could scarcely take up a paper that did not contain the word in almost every paragraph; and so he could easily set himself right in the matter. Western people have frequent occasion to use the word prairie; for it enters into the names of very many of their towns, as, Dell Prairie, Little Prairie, Grand Prairie, Prairie Du Chien, Prairie Grove, &c. We presume no one of them ever saw the word, in any good print, spelled, Pararia; yet it sometimes comes to this Office so written. Now it is to be presumed that any one living on or near a prairie, meets with this word sufficiently often to enable him with a slight amount of observation, to forever fix in his mind the correct method of spelling it. We bring up these instances to illustrate the point before us: that many persons live along in the daily commission of errors in writing and speaking, which a little observation, no more, it would seem, than every one ought to exercise, would effectually correct. It will pay to be to a little mental effort in this matter. When you hear or read, do both with attention. Let nothing slip by without being carefully observed. Keep the avenues of the eyes and ears wide open, and they will be the channels of a constant stream of information to the mind. We purpose to speak of other points hereafter. The Spirits of Just Men Made Perfect
“But ye are come,” says Paul, “unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in Heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” Heb. 12: 22–24. With a great show of confidence, either pretended or real, the advocates of man’s immortality bringing forward this text in proof of their position. That portion of the foregoing quotation upon which they hang their theory is the expression, “the spirits of just men made perfect,” which they take to be both a declaration and proof thereof, that the spirits of men are released by death, and thereupon are made perfect or glorified in the presence of God in Heaven. A little further examination of the language will, we think, show that such an assertion is not made in the text and that even such an inference cannot justly be drawn. That Paul is here contrasting the blessings and privileges enjoyed by believers under the gospel dispensation with those possessed by the Jews under the former dispensation, will probably not be questioned on either side. Ye are not come to the mount that might be touched [Mount Sinai] and the sound of a trumpet, &c., that is, to that system of types and ceremonies instituted through Moses at Sinai, of which an outward priesthood were the ministers, and Old Jerusalem the representative city; but ye are come to Mount Zion, to the New Jerusalem, to Jesus, and to his better sacrifice. These things to which we are come are the superior blessings of the gospel, over what was enjoyed under the former dispensation. But where or how does the fact come in, as one of these blessings, that man has a spirit which is conscious in death, and is made perfect by the dissolution of the body? It will be seen that if this be a fact, it is brought in, at best, only incidentally. There is no proof of it in the expression, “spirits of just men made perfect,” in itself considered; for they could be made perfect at some future time, without supposing them conscious from death to the resurrection. The only proof that can here be found, then, lies in the fact that we are said to have come to these spirits. This is supposed to prove that they must be spirits out of the body, and that they must also be conscious. Then we inquire, How do we come to the spirits of just men made perfect, and what is meant by the expression? It is not difficult to determine how we come to all the other objects mentioned by Paul in the three verses quoted; but how we come to the spirits of just men made perfect, according to the popular view of that expression, is not so clear. If we mistake not, the common view will have to be modified, or the explanation remain ungiven. Let us see: Ye are come [or, putting it in the first person, since Paul brings these to view as present blessings all through the gospel dispensation, we are come] unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem.” That is, we in this dispensation no longer look to Old Jerusalem as the center of our worship, but we look above to the New Jerusalem, where the sanctuary and Priest of this dispensation are. In this sense we are come to them. “And to an innumerable company of angels,” Angels are the assistants of our Lord in his work, who now mediates for his people individually. Dan. 7 10. They are sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Heb. 1: 14. They are therefore more intimately concerned in the believer’s welfare in this dispensation than in the old. We have thus come to their presence and ministration.
“To the general assembly and church of the firstborn which are written in Heaven.” That is, we have now come to the time when believers of whatever nationality, whose names are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life in Heaven, constitute a general assembly, or compose one church. We do not now look to Jewish genealogies to find the people of God, but we look to the record in Heaven. And God now takes his people into covenant relation with himself as individuals, and not as a nation. Thus we are come in this dispensation, to the general assembly, the church of the firstborn. “And to God the Judge of all.” Directly, through the mediation of his Son, we draw near to God. Passing over for a time the expression under discussion, the spirits of just men made perfect, we read on:— “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant.” We now come to Jesus, the real mediator, instead of the typical priesthood of the former dispensation. “And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better things than that of Abel.” That is, there is now ministered for us, the blood of Jesus the better sacrifice, which takes away from us sin in fact, instead of the blood of beasts, which took it away only in figure. It can readily be seen how we come to all these things under this dispensation; how these are all privileges and blessings under the gospel, beyond what was enjoyed in the former dispensation. But now, if the spirits of just men made perfect means disembodied spirits in the popular sense, how do we come to these as a gospel blessing? This is what we would like to have our friends tell us. In what respect is our relation to our dead friends, the supposed spirits of the departed, changed by the gospel? If there is any sense in which we may be said to have come to these, we would like to know it. But again, when do we come into closest contact with a man’s spirit? Is it when that spirit is disembodied, and has gone far away to dwell in the presence of God, and is to have no more to do forever with anything that is done under the sun? Eccl. 9: 6. Is it not rather when the spirit of a man through the eyes of that man looks upon us, through his mouth speaks to us, and through his hands handles us? Outside the hell-doomed hosts of spiritualists, will any one say that we enjoy more intimate relations with a spirit when it is out of the body, than we do while it is in the body? A consideration of this point must convince any one that the idea of coming to the spirits of just men made perfect cannot possibly be applied to spirits out of the body. It will be noticed further that the text does not speak of spirits made perfect, but of men made perfect. The Greek (καὶ πνεύμασι δικαίων τετελειωμένων) shows that the participle, “made perfect,” agrees with “the just,” or “just men,” and not with “spirits.” When, then, we inquire, are men made perfect? There is a certain sense in which they are made perfect in this life through the justification of the blood of Christ, and sanctification of his Spirit; and they are made perfect in an absolute sense, as in Heb. 11: 40, when they experience the final glorification, and their vile bodies are made like unto Christ’s most glorious body. Phil. 3: 21. If it is said that the text refers to this latter perfection, then it is placed beyond the resurrection, and affords no proof of a conscious disembodied spirit. If it refers to the former, then it applies to persons still in this state, and not in death. To one or the other it must refer; and apply it which way we may, it does not bring to view a spirit conscious in death. Therefore it fails entirely to prove the point in favor of which our friends produce it. In harmony with the context, we apply it to the present state, to men in this life, to a blessing peculiar to the gospel, to the justification and sanctification which the believer now enjoys through Christ. And in this sense we see how we come to it, as to all the other things mentioned by Paul. We come to the enjoyment of this blessing ourselves, and to communion and fellowship with those who are also in possession of it. Finally, to show that this is not a view devised to meet any exigency of our position, we will bring to its support a name which with all will have great weight, and with many will be final authority. Dr. Adam Clarke, on this passage, says:—
“In several parts of this epistle [to the Hebrews], τέλειος, the just man, signifies one who has a full knowledge of the Christian system, who is justified and saved by Christ Jesus; and τετελειωμένοι are the adult Christians, who are opposed to the νήπιοι, or babes in knowledge and grace. See Chap. 5: 12–14; 8: 11; Gal. 4: 1–3. The spirits of just men made perfect, or the righteous perfect, are the full-grown Christians; those who are justified by the blood, and sanctified by the Spirit, of Christ. Being come to such, implies that spiritual union which the disciples of Christ have with each other, and which they possess how far soever separate; for they are all joined in one Spirit, Eph. 2: 18; they are in the unity of the Spirit, Eph. 4: 3, 4; and of one soul, Acts 4: 32. This is a unity which was never possessed even by the Jews themselves, in their best state; it is peculiar to real Christianity; as to nominal Christianity, wars and desolations between man and his fellows are quite consistent with its spirit.”
The reader is also referred to Dr. C.’s note at the end of the chapter. Forgiveness of Sin Conditional.
By J. H. W.
Of the correctness of the position that forgiveness is conditional while we are yet on probation, there seems no room for doubt. The scriptures which show this are evident in their bearing on the point. Yet first impressions are sometimes so strong that it is hard to give full credit to full proof if it conflicts with established views. Some have even expressed to me the hope that if they were so unfortunate as to fall away, there would be some mitigation in their case because of their faith in Christ and engagement205in his service for a part of their lives. Such are, I think, under a great deception, and if they analyze their feelings, they will doubtless find some idea of merit connected with their profession of Christianity. The Scriptures do not justify the opinion they hold. None so well as the believer in Christ knows his Master's will; and, of course, none will be beaten with so “many stripes” if he fails to do it. Paul writes thus: “For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gifts, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they have crucified to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.” Heb. 6: 4–6. It would be singular indeed if a person could plead in his own behalf his former interest in Christ as an offset to such a change as this! That interest is the ground of the depth and infamy of his crime. All such are really in a worse condition than they who have never experienced their privileges. Peter speaks in even stronger terms than Paul: “For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.” 2 Peter 2: 20, 21. Let none be deceived by the enemy. The fate of the backslider is awful to contemplate. It is a terrible thought that our privileges and joys in the gospel will be, not a palliation, but an aggravation of our guilt if we turn from the Lord, and will all rise up against us to sink us to deeper woe and perdition. J. H. W. Business Matters and Appointments
The last page being occupied this week by the index, business matters and appointments will be found on the seventh page. This school commenced in Battle Creek at the time appointed, June 3, with twelve scholars, Bro. G. H. Bell, teacher. Two have since joined. This is a better beginning than we had ventured to anticipate, in view of the brief time taken to commence the enterprise, and the short notice that was necessarily given. Quite a number have written stating their inability to attend during the summer, but expressing their intention to come in the fall; and there is good prospect of a very encouraging increase of students by another term. The Grammar Class is arranged to come at such an hour that many of the office hands can attend, who are happy to avail themselves of the privilege. This adds strength and interest to this important feature of the school. Above all, there seems to be an excellent spirit of zeal and hearty good-will on the part of those in attendance, which goes far toward insuring the utility and success of the enterprise. This may seem to some like a small beginning. But a beginning, however small, is something; and it was expected that this would begin in a small and humble way, and come up to its true position by a steady and healthy growth. And we can never be discouraged at the smallness of any beginning, so long as we have the Saviour's parable of the mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds, but finally becomes the greatest of all herbs. As the mustard seed among plants, we expect this school will come up to occupy an important place among the agencies in operation for the advancement of the truth. Friends of the cause, you have now another institution to remember in your prayers. Don't forget the school. QUESTION. A few days ago, a Baptist minister, trying to establish the immortality of man, said, “The original words from which soul and spirit in the New Testament are translated are used interchangeably in a great many instances.” I would like to know the truth of the matter. ANSWER. 1. There is not an instance in the New Testament in which the word for soul, psyche, is translated spirit. 2. There is not an instance in which the word for spirit, pneuma, is translated soul. 3. There is not an instance in which these words are applied indiscriminately to the same object, in the same connection. But 4. They have some definitions in common; as for instance, psyche in Matt. 10: 28, explained by verse 39, undoubtedly ‘means life; and in Acts 7: 59, pneuma means substantially the same thing. QUESTION. How many times hotter was the furnace heated than it was wont to be, at the time Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, were cast into it? It reads “One seven times.” ANSWER. None of the commentaries to which we have access, regard this expression as referring to any particular number of degrees of heat, but only as signifying that the furnace was raised to the highest degree of heat possible. It would be inconsistent to understand it as meaning seven-fold; that is, if the ordinary temperature of the furnace was 350°, that it was raised to seven times that, or 2450°. And it would hardly seem worthy of record to understand it as adding only one-seventh to the heat; that is, if the ordinary temperature was 350°, that one-seventh or 50° more were added, bringing it up to 400°. It seems therefore most natural to understand it to mean simply that the heat was raised to the greatest intensity possible. To the Friends of the Cause in Kansas and Missouri.
By George I. Butler
HAVING just had the privilege of attending your State Conference at Avilla recently, I wish to say a word to those whom I have not had the privilege of seeing at any of our meetings thus far, and I know of no other way to do it than through the REVIEW. I am happy to say a special effort is being made this year, in the bounds of your Conference, to advance the interests of the cause we love. One fifty-feet tent is bought and paid for and will soon be running in the northern part of this field with Bro. Lawrence and T. J. Butler to man it; and at the Avilla meeting a subscription was started, and $307.00 was pledged in a very short time by the comparatively few brethren present to buy another to use in the southern part of the Conference. This should be raised to at least $500.00 by others sending in their pledges and means who were not there, especially from the southern part of the field. The men can be found in the Conference to run it, I feel sure. Bro. Blanchard, Bro. Santee, Bro. Cook, or others, I know feel anxious to see the enterprise move forward, and some of them stand ready to man the tent as soon as bought. Openings for labor in all directions multiply, and scores of places have sent in their most earnest pleas for some one to come to their help. And in many of these places there are brethren able to contribute to help forward this enterprise. There are many scattered Sabbath-keepers all through this Conference, many of whom are doing nothing at all toward helping the cause in the Conference, although there never was a time when their help was more needed. Probably full one-half of these are not in any church organization in these States, and so pay no Systematic Benevolence; and, in short, contribute nothing to the cause any way. It seems strange that our brethren should come from Iowa and other States where they have always felt it duty to help with their means, and come to the place where their help is more needed than ever, and give nothing. These brethren, many of them, want preaching in their own localities; and some of them are crying loudly for it. Where they have ability, they should feel the importance of contributing of their means to sustain preaching and to raise tents. In this way they would show real sincerity. I can see no good reason why Sabbath-keepers who live alone are not under obligations to help forward the cause of God as much as those who live in companies. The Lord has the same claim upon the one as the other. There is no difference in this respect. It would seem that some are forgetting their duty and are in danger of being swallowed up in the world. The present time while these things are being stirred up is just the one to take hold. A good prospect lies before the cause here, if our brethren can be made to realize it and take hold as they should. The Lord is raising up men who are ready to move out and give their strength to the work, if their families are not left to suffer and if the tent can be bought. We hope our scattered friends will realize this and send in their pledges freely. You need have no fears of the pledges being too many; for the Conference voted that all money raised in excess of what was necessary to pay for the tent should go toward helping to pay the expense of running it; and this is just as necessary as it is to buy it. I do not know of any field where there is a more flattering prospect of increase of strength immediately than in this Conference, if our friends will but take hold of the matter with vigor. We know that times are very hard, but you are not required to pay down. If the pledges from reliable men can be obtained, to pay by next fall, there is little doubt the present means necessary can be obtained to purchase the tent, if your pledges are sent in immediately, so that in a month two tents may be running in your Conference. Brethren, this is the golden opportunity. Do not hesitate and let it slip, but send in your pledges or means for the tent, of five, ten or more dollars at once to Eld. H. C. Blanchard, Avilla, Jasper Co., Mo. who is treasurer of the committee appointed by the Conference to take charge of this tent fund. In this way, lay up treasures in Heaven. Five dollars now in your Conference will be felt more and accomplish more than a much larger sum, if the treasury was full. And send in your Systematic Benevolence to the Conference Treasurer, Bro. J. H. Rogers, Alta Vista, Daviess Co., Mo. Go to work for the Lord and not give all your strength to this world. May God bless this noble enterprise; and he will, if we feel the interest in it which its immense value entitles it to expect. GEO. I. BUTLER, Pres. of Gen. Conf.
Lawrence, Kansas, May 29, 1872.