BRO. SMITH:—The subject of the Laodicean state of the church is an interesting one to me. And as I have heard the lamentations from different directions, because we are in Laodicea, I have been led to think that we were in a position similar to a traveler from the north, wishing to go to the city of Washington, and when the announcement was made that the cars were in Baltimore, should we expect to hear him mourning about it, and saying he was not going to pass through Baltimore, but would remain in Philadelphia until he should find himself in Washington? Should we not rather expect, if it was his real intention to go W., and he was at all weary of the journey, that it would be a matter of rejoicing with him that he was so near his journey's end?
The pilgrim's pathway to the eternal city lies through Laodicea, and may we not rejoice that we are there? for it is the last place which the Holy Spirit has marked to be trodden by the feet of the children of God this side of Mt. Zion. It seems to me that a knowledge of the fact that we are already in Laodicea should send a thrill of joy through every one who is trying to press his way through to the city of the living God, and by keeping the commandments to gain an entrance through the gates into that city.
But that we are brought so near to Mt. Zion with such an amount of light and truth shining out here from God's word and from the signs of these times proclaiming that we are almost there; and should be found by the “Amen, the faithful and true Witness, to be neither cold nor hot, but lukewarm, and poor and blind and naked,” is a cause for sore lamentation and deep repentance.
I believe the counsel of the true Witness is for commandment-keepers under the Third Message; and may the Lord enable us to buy the gold tried in the fire that we may be rich, and white raiment that we may be clothed, and help us to anoint our eyes with eye-salve that we may see. Then will our light shine so that others will be led to glorify our Father who is in heaven. Then will the last Message of mercy go with a cry which will be loud enough to call all of God's children from their lurking places, and a people will be made ready for the coming of the Lord. And then the bells will be heard upon the hem of our High Priest's garment, and all his sanctified ones from Abel down to the last one sealed, will be blessed and made perfect, and receive the promise, for which they were mocked, and scourged, stoned and sawn asunder, and wandered about in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. O what a shout there will be in glory then! May the Lord help us to arouse ourselves, and gird on the whole armor of God, and get ready to meet the coming One.
I believe that all of God's people, whether in Babylon or out, are in Laodicea, but the message seems to be to those who profess to believe in present truth, but have not faith enough in it to live it out. There seems to be something in the present truth that makes a mere knowledge of it seem of great value to the possessor; but I have often thought that it would be better never to have a knowledge of the truth, than to have the theory and not be sanctified through obedience to it. I want to be sanctified through God's word, and be permitted to stand with all the blood-washed throng on Mt. Zion.
C. R. AUSTIN
Berkshire, Vt.
OBITUARY.
By Elias Cobb
SISTER Susau L., wife of Bro. L. B. Lockwood, of Waitsfield, Vt., fell asleep in Jesus, as we trust, March 7th, 1857, aged 36 years, leaving six children, who, with her companion, deeply mourn her loss; but they mourn not as those who have no hope. Bro. Sperry attended her funeral at Waitsfield. He spoke from 1 Thess. iv, 14, and Rom. viii, 24, to a large and attentive audience. O that the truth spoken may bring forth fruit unto eternal life.
ELIAS COBB.
Roxbury, Vt., March 22d, 1857.
Death of Celia J. French
DIED in Fairfax, Vt., Celia J., daughter of Simeon and Charlotte French, after an illness of fourteen days, aged six years and nine months.
The Little Church Rising
Sister C. S. Hurlbut writes from Portland, Ct.: "I have been much profited in reading the Review, especially of late. I believe the counsel to the Laodiceans applies to us, and I mean to profit by it, to be zealous and repent, buy gold tried in the fire, white raiment, and eye-salve that I may see things as they are. I have a desire to know what the gold is. I have thought that it must be faith, but have almost come to the conclusion that it was love. Has there not been a great lack of love to God and to each other? It was said to one of the churches, because they had left their first love, "Thy candlestick I will remove out of his place except thou repent." Christ says, On these two (love to God and man) hang all the law and the prophets. O I want to love God with all my heart, mind, might and strength, and my neighbor as myself.
"The little church here are rising. We met last Sabbath in Westfield, eight miles from this place. I was glad of the privilege of walking that distance to meet with a people that worship God in spirit and in truth. God wrought powerfully for us. My prayer is, that the work may go on until we stand perfect and complete in all the will of God."
Extracts from Letters.
Sister M. Russell writes from Cooper, Mich.:—"I am still striving to keep all the Commandments of God and the Faith of Jesus, but I see that I have a great deal to overcome in order to become a true child of God. My trust is in my blessed Jesus. His precious truths are a feast to my soul. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, says John, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure.
"Dear brethren and sisters, let us search our hearts with all diligence, and remove everything from the door of our hearts, and welcome the dear Saviour in, that he may sup with us and we with him. Is it possible that any of the Sabbath-keepers will bar the Saviour out? Praised be the name of the Lord that the Third Angel's Message ever reached our ears in this part of his moral vineyard, and a few honest hearts have come out of Babylon, and embraced the truth. We have discovered our lukewarmness and the awful danger that we are in. We have laid our case before God, and he is a merciful God, slow to anger and ready to forgive.
"I believe the little band of brethren here are on the rise. We have many precious season when we meet together in our prayer-meetings in Otsego. I think I can safely say that I love my Saviour and his blessed word and all his dear children. I have a fervent desire to purchase that gold tried in the fire that I may be rich, and white raiment that I may be clothed, and eye-salve that I may see the truth more plainly. Let us therefore be zealous and repent, so that when he comes arrayed in all his beauty, we may be like him, for we shall see him as he is. A few more trials, a few more struggles, and all will be over. Let us suffer what we may, heaven will be cheap enough."
Communication from Bro. Hutchins.
By A. S. Hutchins
BRO. SMITH:—I feel a desire to write you a few lines this morning; and I hardly know how to commence them. The question arises in my mind, Can I say a word to help or encourage you, or any of the readers of the Review? Perhaps the few words following, written more than one hundred years since, may comfort some one who may read them. They have comforted me in some measure.
The writer, in speaking on the following text, "Mine iniquities have gone over my head; as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me," [Ps. xxxviii, 4,] says, "It is a sure sign that a man is awakened out of his sleep when he discovers the error of his dream."
I think in some degree, since the stirring counsel to the Laodiceans began to be preached, I have been awakened to a sense of my situation. To say that I am fully awake to the solemnity of the time in which we live, I do not. But I firmly resolve to remove every obstacle which lies in the way of the door of my heart being opened, and thereby let the Saviour in.
I have confessed, and still do humbly confess, my great lack of patience, my want of meekness, and of christian forbearance toward the erring, in the past; also my severity of language in administering reproofs and admonitions. The Lord abundantly pity, and freely forgive me, is my prayer; and the dear children of God also.
I am here reminded that the servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing them that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance, to the acknowledging of the truth. 2 Tim. ii, 24, 25.
"When a man dives under water he feels no weight of the water, though there may be many tons of it over his head; whereas a tub half full of the same water, taken out of the river and sat upon the same man's head, would be very burdensome to him, and soon make him grow weary of it."
May we not gather some instruction from this very familiar figure, respecting our past destitution, wretchedness, and blindness? I think we may. While it could be said of us by the faithful and true Witness, "And knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," we felt but little troubled or burdened about our situation. The coming of the Lord was put off (may I not say?) further and further, every year; and the spirit of sacrifice was fast failing among us, and we appeared much like the world in many respects. Yet our condition was not especially burdensome to us. But when we learned our true condition, when we became acquainted with the mind of the faithful and true Witness, respecting the position we occupy, and began to arise from our deplorable state of blindness and misery, how heavy, how burdensome did our past sins of omission and commission appear!
The thought perhaps here suggests itself to the mind, Well, I never can go through; I may as well stop here! Is it a fact that I have tried thus long to be a christian, and am I now found under five degrees of poverty and wretchedness? and to enhance my deplorable state, I knew it not?
But stop not here, only sufficiently long to confess and forsake. Turn and follow the example of our Pattern in his strong and trying temptations. Said the Saviour to the tempter, "It is written" thus and so. Three times he uses this sentence, "It is written." "Then the Devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and ministered unto him." Praise the Lord, O my soul!
Now in our strong temptations to stop here, we may meet the enemy with the words of God, and before these he cannot stand. "It is written," "Confess your faults one to another." "It is written," "He that covereth his sins shall not prosper; but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them, shall have mercy." "It is written," "Be zealous therefore and repent."
Let me here say to each afflicted and oppressed brother and sister, let us try to heed these injunctions, and claim the blessed promise, "Shall have mercy;" and also the very precious promise in Rev. iii, 21. Then the Devil will leave you, and angels will come and minister to you.
"Thy Word the choicest rules imparts
To keep the conscience clean."
A. S. HUTCHINS.
Mar. 13th, 1857.
Sabbath Question in Battle Creek.
By James White
Eld. Harrington, of the Baptist Church, recently preached to that denomination on the change of the Sabbath to the first day of the week. His sermon was replied to in the same house by Bro. White. Last week, by request, Eld. Fillio, of the same denomination, gave five lectures in the Methodist house, in which he endeavored to prove that the Sabbath was a positive institution, and that only nine of the commandments of the Decalogue were of a moral nature. He finally argued from the New Testament the abolition of the whole law. By comparing such scriptures as Heb. viii, 2 Cor. iii, and Eph. ii, he referred "the law of commandments," which is abolished, to the law written on the tables of stone. Next by a few inferences from the New Testament, and some very conclusive testimony from the traditions of "the fathers," he raised up an entire new institution on the first day of the week, thus completely overturning the fabric raised by Eld. Harrington.
At the close of his lectures, application was made for the house in order to review them, but it was refused. Notice was however given that they would be reviewed as soon as the opportunity could be had.
The influence of these lectures, so far from injuring the cause of the Sabbath, must result in its favor. Some of the advocates of the first day observance already express their dissatisfaction at the entire overthrow of the Sabbath institution, and the substitution of something in its place not enforced by any one passage of scripture, and without any evidence being offered in regard to its sanctity, but that of Dionysius, who wrote in A. D. 170, whose testimony was given to prove that it was a holy day. We hope that the people generally will treat this matter with sufficient candor to hear the review, which will probably be given in a few weeks. J. H. W.
Justin Edwards vs. Sabbath Manual.
By James White
It is interesting to trace out the contradictory positions taken by our opponents on the subject of the Sabbath. And, occasionally, as if dissatisfied with the tedious work of contradicting one another, they take to contradicting themselves. The following from the writings of Dr. Justin Edwards is a notable instance.
In his Sabbath Manual, page 116, speaking of the Apostle’s order in 1 Cor. xvi, 2, he says:—
"This laying by in store was not laying by AT HOME; for that would not prevent gatherings when he should come. This could be done only by putting it into one common stock that it might be ready on his arrival."
In his notes on the New Testament, on the same passage, he says:—
"Lay by him in store; AT HOME. That there be no gatherings; that their gifts might be ready when the Apostle should come."
Here is a direct contradiction; and why is it? In the first he speaks as a theorist, having a certain point to make, and the popular view must be sustained at all hazards; but as a critical writer he had a reputation to sustain, and therefore in his notes gives the true idea. If we err in this supposition, and any one will give us the true reason for this contradiction, we shall be happy to make the correction. J. H. W.
Counsels, Comforts, and Cautions
TRIALS and crosses are part of your daily portion; but God promises you strength according to your day, therefore expect strength in every trying season.
Nature always leans to legality or licentiousness.
True spirituality loves free grace and holy precepts.
Carnal comforts leave us in love with sin,
To Correspondents.
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A Friend of Truth. The day and hour mentioned in Matt. xxiv, 36, must evidently be taken in its most literal sense.
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