"BEHOLD, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." These words of reproof, addressed to the king of Israel by Samuel the prophet, contain a lesson that should be pondered by the people of God in every age. The sacrificial offerings of ancient times were of themselves of no value in the sight of God. Those who presented sacrifice before the Lord must have a true sense of its import, acknowledging their lost condition as sinners, and accepting the death of Christ in their behalf. They must repent of their transgressions of God's law, and exercise faith in Jesus as the only one who could remove their guilt. When the offering of a sacrifice was substituted for true, willing, glad service to God, when it was regarded as having any virtue or merit in itself, or when the type was exalted above the object typified, then it became displeasing to the Lord.
Had Saul presented an offering of the greatest value, from his own flocks and herds, obeying in every particular the requirements of the law, yet in a spirit of self-sufficiency, and without true penitence, his offering would have been rejected. But when he offered the spoils of Amalek, upon which the divine curse had been pronounced, how utterly abhorrent must have been his course in the sight of a holy God. He had presumed, in the presence of all Israel, to show contempt for the authority of his Maker.
"To obey is better than sacrifice." This lesson is of special importance at the present time, when the claims of God's law are urged upon our attention. The light now shining from the sacred word reveals the fact that an alien power has tampered with the statutes of Jehovah. The papacy, "the man of sin," has attempted to change the times and laws of divine appointment. The Creator of the heavens and the earth commanded, "The seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work." This command was enforced by the example of its Author, proclaimed with his own voice, and placed in the very bosom of the decalogue. But the papal power has removed this divine ordinance, and substituted a day which God has not sanctified, and upon which he did not rest, the festival so long adored by heathens as the "venerable day of the sun."
In all this, Satan is the master spirit. He has no particular regard for Sunday, but he desires that his will shall be obeyed, rather than the will of God. It was Satan that incited Adam and Eve to transgress the command of their Maker, and he has continued this work even to our own day. We see the success of his attacks upon the law of God, in the wide-spread disregard for the ancient Sabbath of Jehovah, and the well-nigh universal veneration for the institution of heathenism and papacy. And we see the terrible results, in the skepticism which everywhere prevails. The Sabbath was instituted in Eden, as a memorial of creation. It points men directly to the true God as the Maker of the heavens and the earth. Thus it stands as a mighty barrier against idolatry, atheism, and infidelity. Had the Sabbath been universally kept, not one of these evils could have gained a foot-hold in our world. There could not have been an infidel nor an idolater.
Even the political regulations given to Moses when he was in secret council with Jehovah, contain important lessons for the people of every age. But the law proclaimed from Sinai in the hearing of assembled Israel, and written by the finger of God, is obligatory upon all men to the close of time.
When God commissioned Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites, he did not leave it to Saul's judgment to destroy or keep alive as he should see fit. When he forbade our first parents to eat of the tree of knowledge, he did not leave it to them to eat or not to eat, as they pleased. When he commanded men to keep holy the seventh day, he did not make it optional with them to obey if convenient, and if not to sanctify a day of their own chosing.
Many endeavor to evade the claims of the fourth commandment by urging that the law of God was given to the Jews exclusively; that the seventh day of the week is the Jewish, while the first day is the Christian Sabbath. This distinction is not recognized in the Scriptures. There is no such contrast as is often claimed to exist between the Old and the New Testament, the law of God and the gospel of Christ, the requirements of the Jewish and those of the Christian dispensation. Every soul saved in the former dispensation was saved by Christ as verily as we are saved by him to-day. Patriarchs and prophets were Christians. The gospel promise was given to the first pair in Eden, when they had by transgression separated themselves from God. The gospel was preached to Abraham. The Hebrews all drank of that spiritual Rock, which was Christ. It was by Christ that the worlds were made. By Christ the law was proclaimed from Sinai. Hence, Christ is, in the fullest sense, as he declares himself to be, "Lord of the Sabbath." He made the day sacred to himself, on which to receive the worship of angels and of men.
How dare any, understanding the claims of the fourth commandment, trample upon its requirements? Saul stated, as an excuse for his transgression, that he "feared the people." Are there not many in our day, even among the professed ministers of Christ, who could give no better reason for their course? Though the word of God is plain, they dare not offend the prejudices or arouse the fears of their hearers; therefore they let them go on unwarmed in their violation of God's law. In the day of final judgment the excuse of Saul will avail for them no more than it availed for him.410
"Rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry." Rebellion originated with Satan. Notwithstanding the exalted position which he occupied among the heavenly host, he became dissatisfied because he was not accorded supreme honor. Hence he questioned God's purposes and impugned his justice. He bent all his powers to allure the angels from their allegiance. The fact that he was an archangel, glorious and powerful, enabled him to exert a mighty influence. His complaints against God's government, at first met with no favor; yet being urged again and again, they were finally accepted by those who had before been loyal and happy subjects of the King of Heaven. There was not the shadow of justification or excuse for disaffection; but envy and jealousy, once cherished, gained a power that paralyzed reason and destroyed honor and loyalty. As the result, Satan and all his sympathizers were cast out of Heaven.
In his rebellion, Satan showed contempt for the authority of God, and virtually trampled upon every precept of his law. He is the grand prototype of all transgressors. To indulge unbelief, ingratitude, apostasy, defiance of God, or enmity against him, is but to repeat the course which Satan pursued in Heaven. Rebellion against God is as directly due to Satanic influence as is the practice of witchcraft. Like witchcraft, it exerts a bewitching, deceptive power almost impossible to break. Those who set themselves against the government of God have entered into an alliance with the arch-apostate, and he will not lightly lose his prey. All his power and cunning will be exercised to captivate the senses and mislead the understanding of his victims. Everything appears to them in a false light. Under his bewitching spell they can, like our first parents, see only the great benefits to be received by transgression. To achieve the desired object, they will stop at no means, however great the danger to another or the sin to themselves.
No stronger evidence can be given of Satan's delusive power than that many who are thus led by him deceive themselves with the belief that they are in the service of God. The Jewish scribes and elders in the days of Christ professed great zeal for the honor of God, and yet they rejected his Son. Jesus gave them the most conclusive evidence that he was the Promised One. Upon one occasion, the Spirit witnessed so powerfully to his claims that the hearts of all who were in the synagogue responded to the gracious words that proceeded from his lips. Here was the turning-point with that company. As Christ's divinity flashed through humanity, their spiritual sight was quickened. A new power of discernment and appreciation came upon them, and the conviction was almost irresistible that Jesus was the Son of God. But Satan was at hand to arouse doubts, unbelief, and pride. They steeled their hearts against the Saviour's words. As they yielded to the control of Satan, they were fired with uncontrollable rage against Jesus. With one accord they would have taken his life, had not angels interposed for his deliverance.
The same spirit still exists in the hearts of those who set themselves to follow their own perverted judgment in opposition to the will of God. The struggle between truth and error will reveal the same pride and stubbornness, and the same unreasoning hatred against the advocates of truth, as was displayed by the unbelieving Jews.
He who could cause all the glories of earthly empires to pass before Christ in his hour of temptation, exerts a wizard-like power upon the minds of all who do not implicitly trust and obey God. It is this moral infatuation which steels their hearts against the influence of the Holy Spirit. It was this that led Korah, Dathan, and Abiram to rebel against the authority of Moses. Satan deluded them with the idea that they were opposing only a human leader, a man like themselves. But in rejecting God's chosen instrument, they rejected Christ, their invisible leader. They insulted the Spirit of God; and judgments followed close upon their sin. They were deceived by Satan, but by their own consent; because they placed themselves in his power.
Thus was it with Saul. He had the most decisive evidence that Samuel had been divinely appointed and inspired. It was in opposition to all the dictates of reason and sound judgment, that he ventured to disregard the command of God through the prophet. His fatal presumption must be attributed to this Satanic sorcery, which made him blind to the sin, and reckless of its consequences. Saul had manifested great zeal to suppress idolatry and witchcraft, decreeing that all found guilty of these practices should be punished with death. Yet the prophet shows him that in his disobedience to the divine command he had been actuated by the same spirit of opposition to God, and had been as really inspired by Satan, as though he had practiced sorcery. And, further, when reproved, he had added stubbornness to rebellion. Instead of confessing his sin, and humbly seeking pardon, he rejected reproof, and hardened his heart in transgression. He could have offered no greater insult to the Spirit of God, had he openly united with idolaters.
It is a perilous step to slight the reproofs and warnings of God's word or of his Spirit. Many, like Saul, yield to temptation until they become blind to the true character of sin. They flatter themselves that they have had some good object in view, and have done no wrong, in departing from the Lord's requirements. Thus they do despite to the Spirit of grace until its pleading voice is no longer heard, and they are left to the delusions which they have chosen.
O SWEET home-echo on the pilgrim’s way!
Thrice welcome message from a land of light;
As through a clouded sky the moonbeams stray,
So on Eternity’s deep-shrouded night
Streams a mild radiance from that cheering word,
“So shall we be forever with the Lord.”
At home with Jesus! Him who went before,
For his own people mansions to prepare;
The soul’s deep longings stilled, its conflicts o’er,
All rest in blessedness with Jesus there;
What home like this can the wide earth afford?
“So shall we be forever with the Lord.”
With him all gathered! To that blessed home,
Through all its windings, still the pathway tends;
While ever and anon bright glimpses come
Of that fair city where the journey ends,
Where all of bliss is centered in one word,—
“So shall we be forever with the Lord.”
Here kindred hearts are severed far and wide
By many a weary mile of land and sea,
Or life’s all-varied cares and paths divide;
But yet a joyful gathering shall be—
The broken links repaired, the lost restored,
“So shall we be forever with the Lord.”
O precious promise, mercifully given!
Well may it hush the wail of earthly woe;
O’er the dark passage to the gates of Heaven,
The light of hope and resurrection throw.
Thanks for the precious, life-inspiring word—
“So shall we be forever with the Lord.”
—Sel.
Our Absent Lord.
By Charles S. Robinson, D. D.
The parable in Mark 13: 34–36 cannot be discharged of its meaning by a reference to the ordinary risks of human mortality. Its theme is not man's dying, but Christ's coming.
I. The Son of man is represented as a householder away on a journey. Verse 34.
1. It is not fair to look upon Jesus as a mere absentee lord of the soil. For he made this world; he has suffered wonderfully to save souls; and he owns what he has purchased.
2. It must be remembered that he went away for a most gracious purpose. He would send the Comforter. John 16: 7. He has gone to prepare a "place" for those whom he died to redeem. John 14: 2, 3.
3. It is better to urge his coming back with earnestness of prayer. There is fitness in the passionate words of Richard Baxter: "Haste, O my Saviour, the time of thy return; send forth thy angels, let the last trumpet sound! Delay not, lest the living give up hope. Oh, hasten that great resurrection day when the seed thou sowedst corruptible shall come forth incorruptible, and the graves that retain but dust shall return their glorious ones!"
II. To every one "our absent Lord" has given his own work to do. Verse 35.
1. There is a work to be wrought on ourselves. Our bodies are to be exercised and skilled for service. Rom. 12: 1. Our minds are to be developed and embellished for God's praise. One of our Lord's parables spoken on this very occasion has actually added to our language the new word "talents," as signifying intellectual gifts. Matt. 25: 15. Our souls are to be sanctified wholly. 1 Thess. 5: 23.
2. There is also a work to be wrought upon others and for others. The poor are to be succored, the weak to be strengthened, the ignorant to be taught, the sorrowful to be comforted. This is the significance of that other parable our Lord spoke on this same occasion. Matt. 25: 31. He declares that not doing is to be reckoned as well as doing, and that everything is to be reckoned as "unto me" or "not to me."
3. There is another work to be wrought for God's glory. "Man's chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever." Our whole life is to be consecrated to this, even down to the particulars of eating and drinking. 1 Cor. 10: 31. We cannot increase God's "inherent" glory, but we can augment his "declarative" glory. That is to say, we cannot bring him more glory, but we can show the glory he has. This is what the third parable our Lord gave must mean. Matt. 25: 1. The virgins were expected to swell the brilliant train of the bridegroom, and make the night shine with their torches as the procession drew near. They did not make his marriage splendid, but they lit up the splendor it had.
III. Our "absent Lord" is surely coming back again to this world. Verse 26.
1. He predicted his second advent. John 14: 28. The language Jesus used in this remembered declaration is not at all figurative; it all goes together as a statement of fact. He said, literally, he would send the Comforter, and the Holy Spirit came in person on the day of Pentecost. And just as literally did he say he would himself return at the appointed time.
2. He asseverated the certainty and solemnity of his own promise, as if he foresaw some would deny or doubt it. Verse 31. This was indorsing the covenant engagement by a new oath; "because he could swear by no greater, he sware by himself." Christ was the "Word," and so what he said would stand forever, when the grass should wither and the flower should fade. Isa. 40: 8.
3. He left behind him vivid descriptions of the momentous day on which he should arrive. Verses 24–26. In these, however, he does little more than repeat the vigorous language of the Old Testament prophet. Dan. 7: 9–14. Our Lord makes a reference to this ancient prediction, and accompanies it with vivid details. Matt. 24: 15.
4. He even sent back word from heaven by an angel. Acts 1: 11. While the disciples wistfully stood gazing after the ascending Redeemer, there suddenly appeared two messengers from Jesus himself with a gracious rebuke for their forgetfulness of his promise, and a quick renewal of it. It should be "this same Jesus" who should come back, and he should come "in like manner" as they had seen him depart. Is it possible that any Christian now, after all this, should doubt that our Saviour will be on earth again by and by?
IV. The exact hour in which "our absent Lord" will arrive is not announced. Matt. 24: 42.
1. Jesus asserted that he did not know it himself. Verse 32. The disciples once asked him about this. Matt. 24: 3. He told them that God the Father had kept this one secret in his own solemn reserve. Acts 1: 6, 7. He may have meant that in his subordinate office as the anointed Christ he had not been made acquainted with this specific date; or that he was not commissioned to declare it as part of his gospel message, it being unknown to the plan; or that, in assuming human nature as the Son of man, his divine omniscience was limited in this and like particulars. It is enough for us to understand that here is a decided rebuff for the modern curiosity which assumes to fix times and seasons that Jesus himself said had not been revealed to him.
2. But our Saviour declares that his coming might be expected at any moment, morning or midnight, evening or cockcrowing. Verse 35. It would assuredly be sudden. The figure is employed more than once in the Scriptures of "a thief in the night." 2 Pet. 3: 10. Peter in his epistle only quotes our Lord's own language. Luke 12: 39, 40.
3. Moreover, Christ told his disciples that there would be tokens of the nearness of this great day, by which it might be recognized when it should be close at hand. Verses 28, 29. These signs would be as clearly discerned as shoots on fig-trees in the opening summer. He mentioned some of them explicitly. Luke 21: 25–28. We may admit that "wars and rumors of wars," earthquakes, famines, falling stars, and pestilence (Matt. 24: 6–8), together with "great signs in heaven and earth," are alarming disclosures; but will any one doubt that such phenomena are conspicuous at least? Luke 17: 24.
4. So Jesus insisted that men were bound to be wise in noting these signs, and be ready. Luke 12: 54–56. People who could shrewdly and correctly predict changes in the weather just by observing the color of the sky, so as to say that one day would be fair and another would be foul, our Saviour called "hypocrites," if they could not with equal alertness of skill "discern the signs of the times." Matt 16: 2, 3.
V. The greatest peril is that, when "our absent Lord" comes, men will be taken unawares. Verse 36.
1. The instinctive tendency of the human heart is to procrastinate in the performance of religious work. So, when the reckoning is demanded, souls are surprised. If all the good resolutions that have been made by members of the church of God, had been executed in their due time, the millennial glory would long ago have gleamed on every hill and shone in every valley.
2. Time glides mysteriously on with no reference to daring delay. The grave, like the horseleach's daughter, cries Give (Prov. 30: 15, 16), and damnation slumbereth not (2 Peter 2: 3), but men sleep clear up to the edge of divine judgment. They did in Noah's time, and in Lot's, when a less catastrophe was at hand; and so it will be when the Son of man is revealed. Luke 18: 26–30.
3. Christians ought to hold in memory the repeated admonitions they have received. Walter Scott wrote on his dial-plate the two Greek words which mean "the night cometh," so that he might keep eternity in mind whenever he saw the hours of time flitting by. Evidently the apostle Paul felt that he had the right to press peculiarly pertinent and solemn appeals upon those who had enjoyed the advantage of such long instruction. 1 Thess. 5: 1–7.
4. There is no second chance offered after the first is lost. When Christ comes, foolish virgins will have no time to run for oil to pour into their lightless lamps. A forfeited life cannot be allowed any opportunity for retrieval. Where the tree falls, north or south, there it must lie, whether the full fruit has been ripened upon its branches or not. Eccl. 11: 3.—Charles S. Robinson, D. D., in S. S. Times.
The Helpful Word
Give the young and struggling a word of encouragement when you can. You would not leave those plants in your window-boxes without water, nor refuse to open the shutters that the sunlight might fall upon them; but you would leave some human flower to suffer from want of appreciation or the sunlight of encouragement. There are a few hardy souls that can struggle along on stony soil—shrubs that can wait for the dews and sunbeams—vines that climb without kindly training; but only a few. Utter the kind word when you can see that it is deserved. The thought that "no one cares and no one knows" blights many a bud of promise. Be it the young artist at his easel, the young preacher in his pulpit, the workman at his bench, the boy at his mathematical problems, or your little girl at the piano, give what praise you can.
The Importance of Small Gatherings
A NOTION seems to pervade the minds of some Christians that the gatherings of the church are of no importance unless there is a great crowd. They get the idea, somehow, that the assembly of the saints is a small and insignificant affair except somebody is there to chastise all who may be opposed to them in their religious views. The gathering of a few faithful ones for prayer and praise, for a careful and systematic study of the Scriptures has no charms for them. All that will stir the religious blood in their veins is what they call a "big meeting."—Sel.
The People Who Fret Us.
An absolutely worthless man would almost be interesting as a curiosity. Among our acquaintances those who are thoroughly stupid or ill-natured are no trouble—we simply drop them and forget them. Those who fret us are the people that ought to be charming—would be but for some defect or deforming excrescence that we dare not even try to pluck out, lest the whole moral nature bleed to death.
The Folly of Much Talking
By Thomas á Kempis
OFTENTIMES could I wish that I had held my peace when I have spoken; and that I had not been in company. Why do we talk so willingly, when, notwithstanding, we seldom return to silence without hurt of conscience? We might enjoy much peace, if we would not busy ourselves with the words and deeds of other men, which appertain not to our charge.—Thomas á Kempis.
Let Them Go Down.
By Evangelical Messenger
Coaxing the devil to support the gospel is a modern device. The primitive church knew nothing of it. When Paul was collecting funds to aid poor saints at Jerusalem, he used no fairs, festivals, "mum sociables," kissing games, or other sanctified snares, to accomplish his object. The Christians paid their own bills, and did not expect Satan to pay for the weapons which they used in warfare against him. When the devil does support a church, he does so in his own interest. He carries on his operation with a full knowledge of the fact that "a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand." For every dollar paid out of his coffers to the church, he receives full value. Church partnerships with the evil one never benefit the former, but always the latter.
Untold harm comes to the church by the use of even questionable measures to raise money for the support of God's work. It creates the impression in the minds of the worldly that the church is a kind of parasite, dependent for its existence on the community; that it is an object of charity, or even pity and contempt, which is grateful for the tolerance of the people that let it live. The ungodly regard such people as engaged in seeking money rather than souls, and valuing wealthy members better than poor saints. To stand before the world in this light is humiliating and degrading beyond expression. Such churches ought to be cleansed or closed.
Churches that are doing the Lord's work, and that are worth supporting can be supported without the use of questionable means. Others deserve no support. Let them go down.
The Supreme Miracle of Christianity.
AMONG all the New Testament miracles the character of Christ is an ever-present and ever-living reality to the hearts of men. It stands out on every page of the gospel history with such distinctness of outline and such power of reality that it is impossible to read the book without beholding the man. And yet we cannot behold the man without feeling that God is here. No man can utter these words and do these mighty works unless God be with him. It is a true man who lives and speaks and acts. But if he is true, he is more than man, for he claims equality with God. Is it too much to say that the unique character of Jesus Christ is God's perpetual demonstration, wrought out before the eyes of all generations, of the truth of Christianity? Yes; here is one miracle which we can all examine at our leisure—which we can in a sense see and hear and handle, of the Word of life.
We have not seen him die on the cross; we did not see him and converse with him after he rose from the dead. These and other facts we receive on the testimony of eye-witnesses who recorded them. But can we read the New Testament without seeing and feeling the living reality of the character of Jesus in its matchless perfection, in its human tenderness, in its divine glory? Is not the character there before our eyes as truly and as vividly as if its possessor still lived and walked among us? Can we mistake it? Can we fail to see what it is and what it means?
Some one may say, in reply, "We have the character, after all, only on the recorded testimony of those who reported the facts." True; but how could they delineate such a character, if it had no existence in a living man? If they had no living example to draw from, if the real Jesus of the Gospel was not before their eyes, then they created the character. How could such men, in such an age, create out of nothing such a character of absolute originality and perfection? The greatest geniuses who have appeared in history, under the most favorable inspiration of clime and country, have often essayed their utmost endeavor, and accomplished no such result. How could the isolated and comparatively rude fishermen of Galilee do it without a living original? To say that they did, would be to account for one miracle for which there is evidence by taking refuge in another for which there is none. It is far more rational to believe that Christ lived and acted out before the eyes of his disciples the character which they have reported in the New Testament, than to believe that they could draw such a picture of godlike excellence without the living Christ before them.
If, therefore, we have before our eyes to-day, in these sacred pages, the very character which the apostles saw and admired and adored, then has God given to us, even as he did to them, the most sublime of all miracles, the most complete and satisfactory of all demonstrations that Christianity is true. The miracle of miracles, the proof of proofs, is the life and character of God's Son. It is the one miracle which both wins the heart and satisfies the intellect. When we see it as we do in the New Testament, we are compelled to feel that "God has spoken by his Son."
If a man cannot, or will not, receive this evidence of character; if he has no heart to appreciate and admire it; if there be nothing within him responding in homage to the character of this Christ of the New Testament, then we fail to see what further God could do or ought to do to convince and save such a man. Not to appreciate the character of Christ is to disown the highest exhibition of moral excellence the world has ever seen. What grander miracle could God work before the eyes of men than to give the world this perfect image of his own moral perfections in human form, in the life and character of his own Son?—From "Living Christianity."
The Standard of Greatness
By Hazlitt
HE who comes up to his own idea of greatness, must always have had a very low standard of it in his mind.—Hazlitt.
Why a Kerosene Lamp Bursts.
GIRLS, as well as boys, need to understand about kerosene explosions. A great many fatal accidents happen from trying to pour a little kerosene on the fire to make it kindle better, also by pouring oil into a lamp while it is lighted. Most persons suppose that it is the kerosene itself which explodes, and that if they are very careful to keep the oil itself from being touched by the fire or the light there will be no danger. But this is not so. If a can or a lamp is left about half full of kerosene oil, the oil will dry up—that is, "evaporate"—a little, and will form, by mingling with the air in the upper part, a very explosive gas. You cannot see this gas any more than you can see air. But if it is disturbed and driven out, and a blaze reaches it, there will be a terrible explosion, although the blaze did not touch the oil. There are several other liquids used in houses and workshops which will produce an explosive vapor in this way. Benzine is one; burning fluid is another; and naphtha, alcohol, ether, chloroform, may do the same thing.
In a New York workshop lately, there was a can of benzine, or gasoline, standing on the floor. A boy sixteen years old lighted a cigarette, and threw the burning match on the floor close to the can. He did not dream there was any danger, because the liquid was corked up in the can. But there was a great explosion, and he was badly hurt. This seems very mysterious. The probability is that the can had been standing there a good while, and a good deal of vapor had formed, some of which had leaked out around the stopper, and was hanging in a sort of invisible cloud over and around the can; and this cloud, when the match struck it, exploded.
Suppose a girl tries to fill a kerosene lamp without first blowing it out. Of course the lamp is nearly empty or she would not care to fill it. This empty space is filled with a cloud of explosive vapor arising from the oil in the lamp. When she pushes the nozzle of the can into the lamp at the top, and begins to pour, the oil running into the lamp fills the empty space and pushes the cloud of explosive vapor up; the vapor is obliged to pour out over the edges of the lamp, at the top, into the room outside. Of course it strikes against the blazing wick, which the girl is holding down by one side. The blaze of the wick sets the invisible cloud of vapor afire, and there is an explosion which ignites the oil and scatters it over her clothes and over the furniture of the room. This is the way in which a kerosene lamp bursts. The same thing may happen when a girl pours the oil over the fire in the range or stove, if there is a cloud of explosive vapor in the upper part of the can, or if the stove is hot enough to vaporize quickly some of the oil as it falls. Remember that it is not the oil, but the invisible vapor, which explodes. Taking care of the oil will not protect you. There is no safety except in the rule: Never pour oil on a lighted fire or into a lighted lamp.—"Civil Engineer," in Christian Union.
Freedom and Loyalty.
By Golden Rule
Personal freedom is a grand principle in human society, but it works disaster when it is not subservient to the higher principles—the universal good. Law and virtue are based on the latter, rather than the former. Personal freedom that tends to the universal betterment of mankind is the standard to be aimed at in ideal society. If America ever fails, which catastrophe does not appear imminent, it will fail from the false notion that the first end to be achieved is the broadest possible personal liberty.
It is time to call a halt all along the line, and teach the necessity of loyalty, for a while. It is not true that one man has as good a right to be President of the United States as another; that one has as good a right to be rich as another; that one has as much a right to command as another. He who can rule best has the best right to rule; he who can use his wealth to the best advantage has the best right to be rich; he alone who can command men wisely has the best right to lead. The right to enjoy blessings is proportionate to the ability to appropriate them. The true principle of liberty is freedom to prepare ourselves for the best work and the keenest enjoyment along any line we may elect. The secret of the power to command is the power to obey. A great leader must have learned the art of obedience, must have inhaled the spirit of loyalty.
A man who chafes when he is told to do a thing, will never succeed in getting work out of others. It is a rare thing that a rebellious pupil makes a good teacher. A fault-finding workman can never be promoted wisely.
The men who attempt to rise to eminence by pulling other men down, never rise. Loyalty when coupled with intelligence is the best of recommendations. The application of this to the church is too apparent to need emphasizing. The Christian who is valuable in the life battle is the loyal man or woman. The Christian who is always looking after his rights, or the rights of some friend, is a nuisance. The man who thinks he has as good a right to hold office, to have his say, to be a leader as anybody else, is a religious hindrance. The only right any Christian has to serve loyally; and the only one who has a right to lead is he who having been most efficient and most loyal in service, can do more good in directing the loyalty of others. No man who is by nature disloyal in the ranks, has any right to be promoted. Here is food for thought among Christians everywhere.—Golden Rule.
Emerson a Pagan.
AN absurd claim has been made by a few faint-hearted preachers that he was a Christian. But, unless by a confused jargon of terms we call every man a Christian who does not lead an immoral life, and whose writings are not condemned by the authorities as publications unfit to be sent through the mails, then he was no more a Christian than is any Mongolian disciple of Confucius in this city or in China. It is a fact, that more of gospel truth, and a nearer approach to a system of Christian ethics, can be found in the works of Confucius, or Plato, or Cicero, than in those of the sage of Concord. Emerson was in no sense whatever a Christian, but was in all respects a pagan. As a pagan writer and teacher, his works will meet with the same treatment as that accorded to the productions of the illustrious pagans of the past; the truth will be sifted out of them and cherished, and the errors will be silently condemned and retired into obscurity. After a time, a few choice passages of pure and noble sentiments will find a place in the school readers and in books of selections, and there will live. His published volumes will, however, meet with but little sale, and be found only in public libraries, and occasionally in the libraries of scholars; and as a factor in the world's thought, Emerson will pass away. More brilliant and greater men than he are now known only to the learned, and their fate will certainly be his.—Occident.
Rest for the Weary
By Whittier
REST for the weary hands is good,
And love for hearts that pine;
But let the manly habitude
Of upright souls be mine.
Let winds that blow from heaven refresh,
Dear Lord, the languid air;
And let the weakness of the flesh
Thy strength of spirit share.
— Whittier.