Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Nov 9, 1882
General Articles.
By Ellen G. White
Bible Sanctification.
BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
THE CHARACTER OF JOHN.
THE apostle John passed his early life in the society of the uncultivated fishermen of Galilee. He did not enjoy the training of the schools; but by association with Christ, the Great Teacher, he obtained the highest education which mortal man can receive. He drank eagerly at the fountain of wisdom, and then sought to lead others to that "well of water springing up into everlasting life." The simplicity of his words, the sublime power of the truths he uttered, and the spiritual fervor that characterized his teachings, gave him access to all classes. Yet even believers were unable to fully comprehend the sacred mysteries of divine truth unfolded in his discourses. He seemed to be constantly imbued with the Holy Spirit. He sought to bring the thoughts of the people up to grasp the unseen. The wisdom with which he spoke, caused his words to drop as the dew, softening and subduing the soul.
After the ascension of Christ, John stands forth a faithful, ardent laborer for the Master. With others he enjoyed the outpouring of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and with fresh zeal and power he continued to speak to the people the words of life. He was threatened with imprisonment and death, but he would not be intimidated.
Multitudes of all classes come out to listen to the preaching of the apostles, and are healed of their diseases through the name of Jesus, that name so hated among the Jews. The priests and rulers are frantic in their opposition, as they see that the sick are healed, and Jesus is exalted as the Prince of life. They fear that soon the whole world will believe on him, and then accuse them of murdering the Mighty Healer. But the greater their efforts to stop this excitement, the more believe on him and turn from the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. They are filled with indignation, and laying hands on Peter and John, thrust them into the common prison. But the angel of the Lord, by night, opens the prison doors, brings them forth, and says, "Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words of this life."
With fidelity and earnestness, John bore testimony for his Lord upon every suitable occasion. He saw that the times were full of peril for the church. Satanic delusions were existing everywhere. The minds of the people were wandering through the mazes of skepticism and deceptive doctrines. Some who pretended to be true to the cause of God were deceivers. They denied Christ and his gospel, and were bringing in damnable heresies, and living in transgression of the divine law.
John's favorite theme was the infinite love of Christ. He believed in God as a child believes in a kind and tender father. He understood the character and work of Jesus; and when he saw his Jewish brethren groping their way without a ray of the Sun of Righteousness to illuminate their path, he longed to present to them Christ, the Light of the world.
The faithful apostle saw that their blindness, their pride, superstition, and ignorance of the Scriptures, were riveting upon their souls fetters which would never be broken. The prejudice and hatred against Christ which they obstinately cherished, was bringing ruin upon them as a nation, and destroying their hopes of everlasting life. But John continued to present Christ to them as the only way of salvation. The evidence that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah was so clear that John declares no man need to walk in the darkness of error while such a light is proffered him.
John lived to see the gospel of Christ preached far and near, and thousands eagerly accepting its teachings. But he was filled with sadness as he perceived poisonous errors creeping into the church. Some who accepted Christ claimed that his love released them from obedience to the law of God. On the other hand, many taught that the letter of the law should be kept, also all the Jewish customs and ceremonies, and that this was sufficient for salvation, without the blood of Christ. They held that Christ was a good man, like the apostles, but denied his divinity. John saw the dangers to which the church would be exposed, should they receive these ideas, and he met them with promptness and decision. He wrote to a most honorable helper in the gospel, a lady of good repute and extensive influence:—
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward. Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed; for he that biddeth him God speed is a partaker of his evil deeds."
John was not to prosecute his work without great hinderances. Satan was not idle. He instigated evil men to cut short the useful life of this man of God; but holy angels protected him from their assaults. John must stand as a faithful witness for Christ. The church in its peril needed his testimony.
By misrepresentation and falsehood the emissaries of Satan had sought to stir up opposition against John, and against the doctrine of Christ. In consequence, dissensions and heresies were imperiling the church. John met these errors unflinchingly. He hedged up the way of the adversaries of truth. He wrote and exhorted, that the leaders in these heresies should not have the least encouragement. There are at the present day evils similar to those that threatened the prosperity of the early church, and the teachings of the apostle upon these points should be carefully heeded. "You must have charity," is the cry to be heard everywhere, especially from those who profess sanctification. But charity is too pure to cover an unconfessed sin. John's teachings are important for those who are living amid the perils of the last days. He had been intimately associated with Christ, he had listened to his teachings, and had witnessed his mighty miracles. He bore a convincing testimony, which made the falsehoods of his enemies of none effect.
John enjoyed the blessing of true sanctification. But mark, the apostle does not claim to be sinless; he is seeking perfection by walking in the light of God's countenance. He testifies that the man who professes to know God, and yet breaks the divine law, gives the lie to his profession. "He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." In this age of boasted liberality, these words would be branded as bigotry. But the apostle teaches that while we should manifest Christian courtesy, we are authorized to call sin and sinners by their right names,—that this is consistent with true charity. While we are to love the souls for whom Christ died, and labor for their salvation, we should not make a compromise with sin. We are not to unite with the rebellious, and call this charity. God requires his people in this age of the world to stand, as did John in his time, unflinchingly for the right, in opposition to soul-destroying errors.494
I have met many who claimed to live without sin. But when tested by God's word, these persons were found to be open transgressors of his holy law. The clearest evidences of the perpetuity and binding force of the fourth commandment, failed to arouse the conscience. They could not deny the claims of God, but ventured to excuse themselves in breaking the Sabbath. They claimed to be sanctified, and to serve God on all days of the week. Many good people, they said, did not keep the Sabbath. If men were sanctified, no condemnation would rest upon them if they did not observe it. God was too merciful to punish them for not keeping the seventh day. They would be counted singular in the community, should they observe the Sabbath, and would have no influence in the world. And they must be subject to the powers that be.
A lady in New Hampshire bore her testimony in a public meeting, that the grace of God was ruling in her heart, and that she was wholly the Lord's. She then expressed her belief that this people were doing much good in arousing sinners to see their danger. She said, "The Sabbath that this people present to us, is the only Sabbath of the Bible;" and then stated that her mind had been very much exercised upon the subject. She saw great trials before her, which she must meet if she kept the seventh day. The next day, she came to meeting, and again bore her testimony, saying she had asked the Lord if she must keep the Sabbath, and he had told her she need not keep it. Her mind was now at rest upon that subject. She then gave a most stirring exhortation for all to come to the perfect love of Jesus, where there was no condemnation to the soul.
This woman did not possess genuine sanctification. It was not God who told her that she could be sanctified while living in disobedience to one of his plain commandments. God's law is sacred, and none can transgress it with impunity. The one who told her that she could continue to break God's law and be sinless, was the prince of the powers of darkness,—the same who told Eve in Eden, through the serpent, "Thou shalt not surely die." Eve flattered herself that God was too kind to punish her for disobedience of his express commands. The same sophistry is urged by thousands in excuse of their disobedience of the fourth commandment. Those who have the mind of Christ will keep all of God's commandments, irrespective of circumstances. The Majesty of Heaven says, "I have kept my Father's commandments." Adam and Eve dared to transgress the Lord's requirements, and the terrible result of their sin should be a warning to us not to follow their example of disobedience. Christ prayed for his disciples in these words: "Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth." There is no genuine sanctification, except through obedience to the truth. Those who love God with all the heart will love all his commandments also. The sanctified heart is in harmony with the precepts of God's law; for they are holy, just, and good.
God's character has not changed. He is the same jealous God to-day as when he gave his law upon Sinai, and wrote it with his own finger on the tables of stone. Those who trample upon God's holy law may say, "I am sanctified;" but to be indeed sanctified, and to claim sanctification, are two different things.
The New Testament has not changed the law of God. The sacredness of the Sabbath of the fourth commandment is as firmly established as the throne of Jehovah. John writes: "Whosoever committeth sin, transgresseth also the law; for sin is the transgression of the law. And ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; whosoever sinneth [transgresseth the law] hath not seen him, neither known him." We are authorized to hold in the same estimation as did the belove ddisciple those who claim to abide in Christ, to be sanctified, while living in the transgression of God's law. He met with just such a class as we have to meet. He said, "Little children, let no man deceive you. He that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as He is righteous. He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." Here the apostle speaks in plain terms, as he deemed the subject demanded.
The epistles of John breathe a spirit of love. But when he comes in contact with that class who break the law of God and yet claim that they are living without sin, he does not hesitate to warn them of their fearful deception. "If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."
THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST.
HARK! the trump, like mighty thunders,
Shakes the heavens, the earth, the sea,
Ushering in that day of wonders—
Earth's grand year of jubilee!
Restitution's glorious time,
Blessing every land and clime!
With the clouds of heaven, in glory,
Earth's redeeming King appears;
On His head, once marred and gory,
Many blazing crowns He wears:
Blood-stained; wroth, with flaming sword,
Onward rides the conquering Lord.
Kings and rulers, in their madness,
Vainly strive His way to oppose,
While, with songs of praise and gladness,
Saints, triumphant, bind their foes;
Execute "the judgment written"
On the wicked—heaven-smitten.
Sinner! ere the day of sorrow,
Anguish, wrath, and deep despair,
Antedating that blest morrow,
Burst upon thee unaware,
Fly to Jesus—he will save,
Ark-like, bear thee o'er the wave.
Christ’s Coming at the Resurrection.
By Bishop Merrill
WE come now to consider the fact that the second coming of Christ is connected with the resurrection of the dead.
This is implied in some of the parables and other scriptures, which we have already noticed, wherein the “harvest” is described, and the sending forth of the angels to gather the elect, and for the purpose of gathering out of the kingdom them that offend, is mentioned. But our business in this chapter is with those passages which connect these two events together, by positive statement, and in terms that cannot be misunderstood or otherwise construed.
And for the minute and definite statements which we now seek, we properly turn to the epistles, where the different phases of the whole subject are clearly brought out, though sometimes in terse expressions and in incidental allusions. In some places the leading topic is the resurrection, and in others, the advent; but always and everywhere the inspired writers carry the thought that the coming of Christ is at the end of the gospel period, and for the purpose of raising the dead and bestowing the final reward.
A brief analysis of Paul’s argument on the resurrection of the dead will be in place here, as we find it in the fifteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians. He first affirmed the fact that Christ arose, and adduced testimony to prove that fact; he then connected with that fact the resurrection of the dead generally, without limitation or restriction, so that these two facts must stand or fall together. “If there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen.” After this he speaks of the source and extent of death and of the resurrection. “But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: the first-fruits, afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.
It is important to notice that the resurrection of the dead, which is so closely linked to the resurrection of Christ, is not confined to a class of the dead, to the exclusion of the others. It includes all that die in Adam. It is a general or universal resurrection. This fact is of particular significance in its bearing on the question of a premillennial advent. But, having asserted the fact of a general resurrection in such universal terms, as if on purpose to guard against the abuse of this fact which distinguishes modern “liberalistic” interpretations, he introduces, with a disjunctive, the necessary limitations of the results that follow, by recognizing the “order” of the resurrection. “But every man in his own order.”
The word “order” means band or company. It indicates class. There are two orders in the resurrection, as there are two classes to arise. These orders are the first and the last; the good and the bad; “the just and unjust.” The one is a resurrection unto life, and the other is a “resurrection of damnation.” Every man’s “own order” is that company or band or class to which he belongs by moral fitness or spiritual affiliation. The first order consists of those who are “Christ’s at his coming.” These share the resurrection of life. To this class or order the remaining part of the apostle’s discourse, in this chapter, is confined. The other class he purposely leaves in the dark. They come forth at the call of Christ, but the result of their resurrection is not here declared. But it is not a resurrection to glory and honor.
The next point to be observed is the fact that the resurrection of the dead takes place at the time of the coming of Christ. “They that are Christ’s at his coming.” Why should the “coming” of Christ be introduced into this argument at all, if not because of its relation to the resurrection of the dead? There can be no explanation of this language, and no reason assigned for its occurrence in this place, except on the ground that he comes to raise the dead. The resurrection is not a translation or mere transition at the hour of death. It is a rising again of the dead—a palpable and stupendous fact; a miracle of wisdom and power, the glory and consummation of the mediatorial work of our risen Lord. It is a work worthy the coming and kingdom of Christ, the fulfillment of his grandest purpose, the outcome of his incarnation and sacrifice. “Then cometh the end.” The work of Christ’s kingdom is done. The mission of the gospel to humanity is accomplished. The “harvest” is past. The “end” mentioned is the end of the mediatorial reign; the end of the gospel dispensation; the end of human probation; the end of time. Hence this passage antagonizes premillennialism. The coming of Christ is not to “set up” his kingdom on the earth, for the purpose of putting down anti-Christian rule and authority and power; but it is at the end of the reign which will have accomplished that work. It is “when he shall have delivered the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule, and all authority and power.” It is, therefore, after the work is done, which premillennialism supposes he is coming to do. And this is confirmed by what is said of the destruction of death. This is the last enemy to be destroyed. Its destruction is the final victory. Beyond it there is no conflict. There remains no rule or authority or power to be put down. And death is destroyed by the resurrection, at the coming of Christ. But if death is then destroyed, all the dead are raised; for it is false to fact, and absurd in itself, to affirm that death is destroyed, when the righteous live again, if all the unrighteous still abide in death. The destruction of death is the abolition of its power over the human race. Death and hades deliver their dead at the appearance of the Son of man and the great white throne.
The next passage we cite is Phil. 3: 20, 21: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself.” That this connects the resurrection with the coming of Christ there can be no doubt. The resurrection of the righteous dead is always uppermost in the mind of the apostle, and here he speaks of the change awaiting the glorified, without reference to a different class. That which he calls “our vile body” cannot be other than the mortal body in which we live, the body of our humiliation, which is tending to corruption. The Lord Jesus Christ himself shall come from heaven and change this vile body by his own power, and clothe it with immortality and incorruption, and thus fashion it “like unto his own glorious body.” Hence John says, “When he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.” This is why the coming of Christ from heaven is the “blessed hope” of the Christian. It is the time of “the manifestation of the sons of God.” “When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.”
The only effort “liberalists” have made to explain this passage, without connecting the coming of the Saviour and the resurrection, is to assume that it relates to a change in the condition of the church in consequence of the destruction of Judaism. The coming of Christ from heaven is claimed to be that “figurative” coming we have so frequently had occasion to mention; and “this vile body” is represented as the old Jewish church, and “his glorious body” is called the Christian church. The “change” is said to be the change in the church, wrought when Christ came “figuratively” at the destruction of Jerusalem, and destroyed the old polity and instituted the new polity, or that which distinguishes the gospel kingdom. Of course this is unworthy of the name of criticism or exposition, and unworthy of formal reply; and yet men of culture, who pride themselves in their advance of thought beyond the limitations of the creeds, have put it forth in sober earnestness. It seems no obstruction to such expositors, that the old Jewish church was never changed into the glorious Christian church, and that Paul and those addressed, were living in the Christian church, and not in the Jewish church, and had been for some time, while they were looking for the Saviour, and anticipating the day when “this vile body” should be changed. But enough.
We now turn to 1 Thess. 4: 13-18: “But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”495
This describes the personal coming of our Lord to raise the dead, or it is utterly misleading. By “them which are asleep,” the apostle undoubtedly means the dead—those that have fallen asleep in Christ. These are distinguished as a class, from those that “are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord.” And this coming is neither spiritual nor figurative, but personal and literal. It is the coming of the Lord “himself.” It is his public revelation in the “clouds of heaven,” when every eye shall see him; for with this coming are the “shout,” and the “voice of the archangel,” and the “trump of God,” so connected as to show the character of the event. This is that “great sound of a trumpet” which is mentioned in Matt. 24:31, and also in 1 Cor. 15:52. It always relates to the resurrection of the dead.
Another important fact is here brought out. Not only do the dead arise at the coming of Christ, but the living shall then be “changed.” The dead and the living are the two classes mentioned. The dead in Christ are specifically in mind while the unbelieving dead are unrecognized in this passage. Perhaps some thought the living would have an advantage over the dead in the day of the advent, so that it would be better for them not to die. But the apostle controverts this idea. In that day all the saints shall have equal advantage. The living shall not ascend to meet the Lord in advance of the dead in Christ. These shall “rise first;” that is, before the living ascend. Then, when the dead are raised, and the living changed, all the saved “shall be caught up together.” This “change” in the living, which is at once equivalent to death and the resurrection, in its effect upon the mortal body, is more particularly set forth in 1 Cor. 15:51, 52: “Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump; for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” As a living man, writing to living men, of the living and the dead, he naturally identified himself, and those to whom he wrote, with the living, without implying that he or they would still be living when the great event described should actually occur. But, whether he or they should be living or dead, the great thought was that “all” should be “changed” in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump. They were to be changed from corruption to incorruption, from mortality to immortality. And being thus changed, the distinction between these classes is obliterated. They all pass into the immortal state together, and so shall they ever be with the Lord. Thus the coming of Christ terminates the reign of death on earth.
To multiply proofs or extend arguments on this point would be superfluous. There are incidental questions connected with the Scriptures cited, which might be considered here, but which must necessarily come up in other connections, so that we pass them now to avoid repetition. These relate to the other events which are to follow the coming of the Lord, such as the gathering of the nations, the resurrection of the wicked, the judgment, the retribution, and the conflagration. Each in its place will receive due attention, and in the outcome it will be found that nothing essential to the main argument is overlooked. The single point in hand, that Christ’s literal coming in person is to raise the dead, being sufficiently made out, we close the chapter, expecting to show that the final judgment is just as plainly connected with this same personal advent.—The Second Coming of Christ, by Bishop Merrill.
WALKING WITH THE WORLD.
By Mrs. Matilda C. Edwards
[Published by request.]
THE Church and the World walked far apart
On the changing shore of time;
The World was singing a giddy song,
And the Church a hymn sublime.
"Come, give me my hand," cried the merry World,
"And walk with me this way;"
But the good Church hid her snowy hands,
And solemnly answered, "Nay,
I will not give you my hand at all,
And I will not walk with you;
Your way is the way to endless death;
Your words are all untrue."
"Nay, walk with me but a little space,"
Said the World, with a kindly air;
"The road I walk is a pleasant road,
And the sun shines always there;
Your path is thorny and rough and rude,
And mine is broad and plain;
My road is paved with flowers and dews,
And yours with tears and pain.
The sky above me is always blue;
No want, no toil, I know;
The sky above you is always dark;
Your lot is a lot of woe;
My path, you see, is a broad, fair one,
And my gate is high and wide;
There is room enough for you and for me
To travel side by side."
Half shyly the Church approached the World,
And gave him her hand of snow.
The old World grasped it, and walked along,
Saying in accents low,
"Your dress is too simple to please my taste;
I will give you pearls to wear,
Rich velvets and silks for your graceful form,
And diamonds to deck your hair."
The Church looked down at her plain white robes,
And then at the dazzling World,
And blushed as she saw his handsome lip
With a smile contemptuous curled.
"I will change my dress for a costlier one,"
Said the Church, with a smile of grace;
Then her pure white garments drifted away,
And the World gave in their place
Beautiful satins and shining silks,
And roses and gems and pearls;
And over her forehead her bright hair fell,
Crisped in a thousand curls.
"Your house is too plain," said the proud old World;
"I'll build you one like mine;
Carpets of Brussels and curtains of lace,
And furniture ever so fine."
So he built her a costly and beautiful house;
Splendid it was to behold;
Her beautiful daughters and sons dwelt there,
Gleaming in purple and gold;
And fairs and shows in the halls were held,
And the World and his children were heard,
And laughter and music and feasts were heard
In the place that was meant for prayer.
She had cushioned pews for the rich and great,
To sit in their pomp and pride;
While the poor folks, clad in her shabby suits,
Sat meekly down outside.
The Angel of Mercy flew over the Church,
And whispered, "I know thy sin."
Then the Church looked back with a sigh, and longed
To gather her children in.
But some were off at the midnight ball,
And some were off at the play,
And some were drinking in gay saloons;
So she quietly went her way.
Then the sly World gallantly said to her,
"Your children mean no harm,
Merely indulging in innocent sports."
So she leaned on his proffered arm,
And smiled, and chatted, and gathered flowers,
As she walked along with the World;
While millions and millions of priceless souls
To the horrible gulf were hurled.
"Your preachers are too old and plain,"
Said the gay World with a sneer.
"They frighten my children with dreadful tales,
Which I like not for them to hear;
They talk of brimstone and fire and pain,
And the horrors of endless night;
They talk of a place which should not be
Mentioned to ears polite.
I will send you some of the better stamp,
Brilliant and gay and fast,
Who will tell them that people may live as they list,
And go to Heaven at last.
The Father is merciful, great, and good,
Tender and true and kind;
Do you think he would take one child to Heaven
And leave the rest behind?"
So he filled her house with gay divines,
Gifted and great and learned;
And the plain old men that preached the cross
Were out of her pulpits turned.
"You give too much to the poor," said the World,
"Far more than you ought to do;
If the poor need shelter and food and clothes,
Why need it trouble you?
Go take your money and buy rich robes,
And horses and carriages fine,
And pearls and jewels and dainty food,
And the rarest and costliest wine;
My children, they dote on all such things,
And if their love would win
You must do as they do, and walk in the ways
That they are walking in."
Then the Church held tightly the strings of her purse,
And gracefully lowered her head,
And simpered, "I've given too much away;
I'll do, sir, as you have said."
So the poor were turned from her door in scorn,
And she heard not the orphans' cry;
And she drew her beautiful robes aside,
As the widows went weeping by;
And the sons of the world and the sons of the Church
Walked closely hand and heart,
And only the Master who knoweth all
Could tell the two apart.
Then the Church sat down at her ease, and said,
"I am rich, and in goods increased;
I have need of nothing, and naught to do
But to laugh and dance and feast;"
And the sly World heard her and laughed in his sleeve,
And mockingly said aside,
"The Church is fallen, the beautiful Church,
And her shame is her boast and pride."
The angel drew near to the mercy-seat,
And whispered in sighs her name,
And the saints their anthems of rapture hushed,
And covered their heads with shame;
And a voice came down through the hush of Heaven,
From Him who sat on the throne,
"I know thy works, and how thou hast said,
I am rich; and hast not known
That thou art naked, poor, and blind,
And wretched before my face;
Therefore, from my presence I cast thee out,
And blot thy name from its place."
—Mrs. Matilda C. Edwards, in Baltimore Christian Advocate.
The Theater as it Is.
IN its best estate the theater, in New York, attended by the "first class" people, men and women, is thus described by the Sun newspaper. Yet if a religious paper denounces the stage, the cry of bigotry and Puritanism is set up at once. Those who do not frequent the theater depend for their knowledge of it on the daily papers, and this is what one of them says of the most fashionable theaters in New York:—
"At Wallack's during the past week young girls, with their attendant swains, chaperoned by grave and dignified matrons, have listened with unblushing faces, and, indeed, with every indication of intelligent interest, to one of the most objectionable plays ever acted in English. Vice and immortality, degraded womanhood, and corrupted households are bad enough, even when veiled beneath an outward semblance of decency, but when an actress is called upon to use all her art in the reproduction of a debased and vicious woman, and when bad things are called by their worst names, and no attempt at the thinnest whitewash is made, then it were better that young girls should be left at home, as nothing can be gained to mind, morals, or manners by watching the progress of such a play, and, above all, by seeing it in company with young men."—The Lever.
Secret and Family Prayer
By Albert Barnes
SECRET and family prayer should be daily. We daily have the same necessities, are exposed to the same dangers, tread on the borders of the same Heaven or hell. How should the voice of praise and prayer go up as incense in the morning, and rise as a rich perfume in the shades of each evening! What more lovely object than the one in the bloom of health and the dew of youth bending with reverence before the King of Heaven, seeking forgiveness, peace, guidance, and life! And what a strange, misguided, and piteous object is a soul that never prays!—Albert Barnes.
The Comfort of Love.
By Baptist Weekly
To AN invalid friend, who was a trembling, doubting believer, a minister once said:—
“When I leave you I shall go to my own residence, if the Lord will, and when there, the first thing I expect to do is to call for a baby that is in the house. I expect to place her on my knee and look down in her sweet eyes, and listen to her charming prattle; and, tired as I am, her presence will rest me, for I love that child with unutterable tenderness. But the fact is, she does not love me; or, to say the most of her, she loves me very little. If my heart were breaking under the burden of a crushing sorrow, it would not disturb her sleep. If my body were racked with excruciating pain, it would not interrupt her play with her toys. If I were dead she would be amused in watching my pale face and closed eyes. If my friends came to remove the corpse to the place of burial, she would probably clasp her hands in glee, and in two or three days totally forget her papa. Besides this, she never brought me a penny, but has been a constant expense upon my hands ever since she was born. Yet, although I am not rich in the world’s possessions, there is not money enough in the world to buy that baby. How is this? Does she love me, or do I love her? Do I withhold my love until she loves me? Am I waiting for her to do something worthy of my love before extending it to her?”
“Oh ! I see it,” said the sick man, while the tears ran down his cheeks; “I see it clearly. It is not my love to God, but God’s love to me that I ought to be thinking about; and I do love him now as I never loved him before.”
From that time his peace was like a river.—Baptist Weekly.
The Retort of a Colporteur.
A number of German farmers one market day were sitting at a long table, in an inn, when a colporteur entered. One of the farmers was offered a Bible, and the colporteur began to talk to him. He looked very uneasy, and bought a copy simply to get rid of his tormentor. "But," says the colporteur, "matters grew warm, some jeered and scoffed. One man said, 'We men are no better than beasts; monkeys were our common ancestors, and when we die we shall fare no better and no worse than they.' I said, 'Monkeys were not my ancestors.' 'Who then?' 'I was made in God's image and after his likeness. Had monkeys been my ancestors possibly I might have thought as you do about God and the future of my soul.' At this retort some laughed, others looked serious, and several took my part and bought Bibles."
Obedience in Little Things
By George Swinnock
It is as much treason to coin a penny, as a twenty shilling piece; because the royal authority is as much violated in one as in the other. There is the same rotundity in a little ball or bullet as in a great one. The authority of God is as truly despised in the breach of the least commandments, as some are called, as in the breach of the greatest, as others are called.