DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: The love which the Lord has manifested towards me of late, especially constrains me to write at this time. I have been passing through sore temptation. It has seemed to me the enemy was making one mighty effort for my overthrow. But thanks to God, he has delivered me from falling into the hands of the enemy.
When I have a glimpse of the goodness, love and long-suffering of our dear Saviour, I am struck with astonishment. O, dear brethren and sisters, could we realize the condescension of our heavenly Father, how would our heart run out towards him? The Lord is not in need of us, poor sinners, to add to his happiness; he is supremely happy without us; but he has pitied us to that degree that none other could, and has given his beloved Son to die for us, that we through his death and suffering might have life, eternal life. How cheering the word! O, I desire to realize what the Lord has done for us, and especially for one so unworthy as myself, the most so of all his children.
I feel as though I must be more in earnest, and give more diligent heed to the faithful and true Witness. I do desire to be zealous and repent, and return to the Lord with all my heart, that I may not be spued out of his mouth. O, I want the tried gold, and the white raiment. O that I may be enabled to make my way strait up the rugged steep, until I shall plant my feet on the top of mount Zion. When I realize how engaged all heaven is for our welfare, I feel like getting into the dust, and remaining before the Lord with weeping, and fasting, and lamentation. Brethren, we must awake. The Lord has done so much for us, how can we be stupid and indifferent? We must awake, or the Lord will come and remove the candlestick out of its place. God himself has condescended to stoop to poor sinful man to save him; Jesus has died; the angels are hovering round to ward off the fiery darts of the enemy; and shall we, my dear brethren and sisters, be negligent about our own salvation? My prayer is, Lord have pity upon us, and save us from our lukewarm condition.
Hoping for redemption through the blood of the dear Redeemer at the morn of the resurrection.
L. B. ABBEY.
Hubbardsville, N. Y., June, 1858.
CATHARINE FOREMAN
By Catharine Foreman
From Sister Foreman.
DEAR BRETHREN AND SISTERS: I too am trying to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, though I feel lonely, being away from any of like precious faith, and not having the privilege of meeting with God's dear saints very often. I feel thankful to my heavenly Father for the truth. The Third Message is a message that will cut us loose from the world; it will separate the precious from the vile, the clean from the unclean. O that we may heed the call and get deep into the work of God.
Dear brethren and sisters, let us take fresh courage and start anew for the kingdom, putting on the whole armor that we may be able to stand against all the fiery darts of the wicked. God has left upon record precious promises for our encouragement. O how much we need the Holy Spirit in these times of apostasy! We truly are living in perilous times; wicked men and seducers are waxing worse and worse; the love of many has waxed cold; proud professors tell us that the doctrine of a soon coming Saviour will soon fall to the ground; but what saith the scripture? "But ye, brethren, are not in darkness that that day should overtake you as a thief. Ye are all the children of light and the children of the day; we are not of the night nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep as do others, but let us watch and be sober."
Brethren and sisters, we need not fear, for he that shall come will come, and will not tarry; and to those that look for him will he appear without sin unto salvation. I want to meet you in the kingdom, which we soon expect to see. I want to suffer with Christ that I may also reign with him in glory.
Your unworthy sister, waiting for the glorious appearing of the Saviour.
CATHARINE FOREMAN
Findlay, O.
Reading and Thinking
READING AND THINKING.—Always have a book within your reach, which you may catch up at your odd minutes. Resolve to edge in a little reading every day, if it is but a single sentence. If you can give fifteen minutes a day, it will be felt at the end of the year. Thoughts take up no room. When they are right, they afford a portable pleasure, with which one may travel or labor without any trouble or incumbrance.
Trials Working for Good
By F. M. Bragg
"All Things Work Together for Good to Them that Love God." Rom. viii, 28.
If we believed the truth couched in these words, what serenity would possess the mind under trials.
When the Son of righteousness seems, for a time, hid behind the cloud of adversity, if we fully believed and felt the force of the truth here expressed, that whatever betide, whether distressed with poverty, or weakened by sickness and disease, or pressed by foes, to us the darkness would be but the precursor of the dawn of that brighter day, when the Son of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings.
The apostle says, "Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory." Shall we murmur at trials with such a hope, and that too, soon to be realized? Trials by their very nature, are calculated to purify us; therefore they can work for us the greatest possible good. And God has assured us that they are the great means by which he purifies unto himself a peculiar people, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing. Then let us not frustrate the good work God has begun in us, but rather welcome suffering, if we may be fitted to reign with the King of glory, where there will be no more sin, nor pain, nor sickness and death; for there will be nothing to hurt in all God's holy mountain.
The Lord tells us that whom he loveth he chasteneth. If we have chastening from the Lord we have the surety that we are loved by him. Blessed assurance! We have every reason to rejoice that this God is our God. Rejoice in God.
F. M. BRAGG.
Cambridge, Wis.
Where is the Bible Evidence?
By R. F. C.
"The immortality of the soul is an acknowledged principle of Christian theology, a cardinal feature of religion, a firmly established truth. This sublime truth is the base and battlement of the stupendous structure of Christianity. Every page of Holy Writ overflows with this great truth, and if there be no immortality of the soul, the Bible becomes a falsity, Jesus Christ an impostor, and God the Father a profound myth. This doctrine of immortality cannot be impeached, and the united thunders of infidel sophistry have ever been powerless to scathe or mar its beauty, lessen its magnitude, or diminish its power."—Cor. Sub. Rec.
The above is a specimen of the arguments by which the theory of natural immortality is sustained. It is a very easy matter for one who has more zeal than regard for the truthfulness of what he says, to "talk big," and make broad assertions which he cannot prove. It is easier to say that a doctrine is "firmly established," than to produce the proofs and evidences by which it is established. It is much easier positively to assert that "every page of Holy Writ overflows" with the doctrine of the natural immortality of the soul, than to specify the particular page where it can be found. Easier for men of this character to talk about the Bible being false, Christ an impostor, &c., if this dogma is not the truth, than to show what declaration of Scripture would prove untrue in that case, or to show why Christ would prove an impostor, if he came to offer immortality to mortals.
What is "infidel sophistry?" I thought that infidelity was unbelief, and that Christians call those infidels who do not believe the Bible. Now some believe that by the decisions of the judgment, God will render to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life—that the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ; and that, at the resurrection, this mortal shall put on immortality, because the Bible says so. Is this infidelity? Does it not look much more like infidelity to say that if the soul is not immortal, "the Bible becomes a falsity?"
Sophistry is defined by Webster, fallacious reasoning. It needs no such reasoning to support the doctrine of immortality through Christ only; it is as positively taught in the Scriptures as language is capable of expressing it. But the opposing doctrine leans more upon reasoning than Scripture for its support; and, as some of its ablest defenders admit, it is rather inferred or taken for granted than expressly taught in Holy Writ. R. F. C.
"Thou Shalt not Bear False Witness."
There are, probably, none of us who would directly tell an untruth of another. But there is another way as effectual, in bearing false witness. A peculiar look or act will give an unfavorable impression, and sometimes will convey to others more than is strictly true. And not unfrequently this course proceeds from the selfish feeling of self-promotion. As there is a lying by looks and acts, so there is bearing false witness in the same way.
Should we not examine our motives lest that while we profess to be keeping the commandments of God we are violating the first principles of them.
F. M. B.
The Irretrievable Waste of Time
Lost wealth may be restored by industry—the wreck of health regained by temperance—forgotten knowledge restored by study—alienated friendship soothed into forgetfulness—even forfeited reputation won by patience and virtue. But who ever again looked upon his vanished hours—recalled his slighted years, stamped with wisdom, and effaced from Heaven's record the fearful blot of wasted time!—Sel.
Kindness to Animals
"A man of kindness to his beast is kind,
But brutal actions show a brutal mind;
Remember, He, who made thee, made the brute,
Who gave thee speech and reason, formed him mute;
He can't complain; but God's all-seeing eye
Beholds thy cruelty; He hears his cry.
He was designed thy servant and thy drudge;
But know that his Creator is thy Judge."
BENEFITS OF ADVERSITY.
By Jeremy Taylor
No man is more miserable than he that hath no adversity; that man is not tried whether he be good or bad; and God never crowns those virtues which are only faculties and dispositions; but every act of virtue is an ingredient into reward—God so dresses us for heaven.
Business Items.
By Editor
S. Pierce:—When was sister Bigelow's letter sent? Please give us a clue to the date, and we will try and look the matter up. The edition of "Why Don't you keep the Sabbath?" is exhausted.
I. McCausland:—It was received.
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By Editor
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The Way of Life
“The Way of Life,” is the title of a new sheet started in N. Y. city. Its avowed object is to “advocate the interests of Catholic Christianity, leaning towards no particular church, and giving precedence to no sect as such.” We understand that the revival movement has given rise to this organ, and that to its interests it will be devoted. But how it will flourish, when the revival spirit shall have subsided, remains to be seen.
Family Prayer and Life
By Editor
We do not recollect of ever having seen a more beautiful comparison on the subject of family worship, than the following:
"Robert Hall said of family prayer, 'It serves as an edge and border, to preserve the web of life from unraveling.'"