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Signs of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 23.

THE TRANSFIGURATION

Signs of the Times

Jun 7, 1877

Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Jun 7, 1877

THE TRANSFIGURATION.

By Ellen G. White

BY MRS. E. G. WHITE.
As the time drew near when Jesus was to suffer and die, he was more frequently alone with his disciples. After teaching the people all day, he would repair with his disciples to a retired place and pray and commune with them. He was weary, yet he had no time to rest, for his work on earth was hastening to a close, and he had much to do before the final hour arrived. He had declared to his disciples that he would establish his kingdom so firmly on earth that the gates of hell should not prevail against it.
Jesus in view of his approaching trial, gathered his disciples about him and opened their minds regarding his future humiliation and shameful death at the hands of his persecutors. The impulsive Peter could not for a moment endure the thought, and insisted that it could not be. Jesus solemnly rebuked Peter's unbelief in suggesting that prophecy would not be fulfilled in the sacrifice of the Son of God.
Jesus then proceeded to explain to his disciples that they also must suffer for his name, bear the cross in following him, and endure a corresponding humiliation, reproach, and shame with that of their Master, or they could never share in his glory. His suffering must be followed by theirs, and his crucifixion must teach them that they should be crucified to the world, resigning all hope of its pomp and pleasure. Previous to this declaration, Jesus had frequently spoken to his disciples of his future humiliation, and he had resolutely discouraged all their hopes of his temporal aggrandizement; but they had so long been accustomed to look upon Messiah as one who would reign as a mighty king, that it had been impossible for them to relinquish entirely their glowing expectations.
But now the words of Jesus were unmistakable. He was to live, a humble, homeless wanderer, and to die the death of a malefactor. Sadness oppressed their hearts, for they loved their Master; but doubt also harassed their minds, for it seemed incomprehensible that the Son of God should be subjected to such cruel humiliation. They could not understand why he should voluntarily go to Jerusalem to meet the treatment which he told them he should there receive. They were deeply grieved that he should resign himself to such an ignominious fate, and leave them in greater darkness than that in which they were groping before he revealed himself to them. The thought suggested itself to their minds that they might take him by force to a place of security, but they dared not attempt this as he had repeatedly denounced all such projects as the suggestions of Satan. In the midst of their gloom they could not refrain from comforting themselves occasionally with the thought that some unforeseen circumstance might avert the fearful doom that awaited their Lord. Thus they sorrowed and doubted, hoped and feared, for six long, gloomy days.
Jesus was acquainted with the grief and perplexity of his disciples, and he designed to give them additional proof of his Messiahship, in order that their faith might not utterly fail them in the severe ordeal to which they were soon to be subjected. As the sun was setting he called his three most devoted disciples to his side, and led them out of the noisy town, across the fields, and up the steep side of a mountain. Jesus was weary from toil and travel. He had taught the people and healed the sick throughout the entire day; but he sought this high elevation because he could there find retirement from the crowds that continually sought him, and time for meditation and prayer. He was very weary, and was much fatigued in toiling up the steep ascent.
The disciples were also tired, and, although they were accustomed to this practice of retiring into the solitudes for prayer, they could not help wondering that Jesus should attempt to climb this rugged mountain, after such a day of fatigue. But they asked no questions as to his purpose, and patiently accompanied him. As they are ascending the mountain, the setting sun leaves the valleys in shadow, while the light still lingers on the mountain tops, and gilds with its fading glory the rugged path they are treading. But soon the golden light dies out from hill as well as valley, the sun disappears behind the western horizon, and the solitary travelers are wrapt in the darkness of night. And the gloom of their surroundings seems in harmony with their sorrowful lives, around which the clouds are gathering and thickening.
Having gained the place he sought, Jesus engaged in earnest prayer to his Father. Hour after hour, with tears and importunity, he supplicated for strength to bear his afflictions and for grace to be bestowed upon his disciples that they might bear the terrible trials that awaited them in the future. The dew was heavy upon his bowed form, but he heeded it not; the shadows of night gathered thickly about him, but he regarded not their gloom. So the hours passed slowly by. At first the disciples united their prayers with his in sincere devotion; but as the hours dragged slowly on, they were overcome with weariness and loss of sleep, and even while endeavoring to retain their interest in the scene, they fell asleep. Jesus had told them of his future sufferings, he had taken them with him that they might watch and pray with him while he was pleading with his Father; even then he was praying that his disciples might have strength to endure the coming test of his humiliation and death. He especially plead that they might witness such a manifestation of his divinity as would forever remove from their minds all unbelief and lingering doubts; a manifestation that would comfort them in the hour of his supreme agony with the knowledge that he was of a surety the Son of God, and that his shameful death was a part of the divine plan of redemption.
God hears the petition of his Son, and angels prepare to minister unto him. The Father selects Moses and Elijah to visit Christ and converse with him in regard to his coming sufferings at Jerusalem. While Jesus bows in lowliness upon the damp and stony ground, suddenly the heavens open, the golden gates of the City of God are thrown wide, and holy radiance descends upon the mount, enshrouding the kneeling form of Christ. He arises from his prostrate position, and stands in God-like majesty; the soul-agony is gone from his countenance, which now shines with a serene light, and his garments are no longer coarse and soiled, but white and glittering like the noon-day sun.
The sleeping disciples are awakened by the flood of glory that illuminates the whole mount. They gaze with fear and amazement upon the shining garments and radiant countenance of their Master. At first their eyes are dazzled by the unearthly brilliancy of the scene, but as they become able to endure the wondrous light, they perceive that Jesus is not alone. Two glorious figures stand engaged in conversation with him. They are Moses, who talked with God face to face amid the thunder and lightnings of Sinai, and Elijah, that prophet of God who did not see death, but was conducted to Heaven in a chariot of fire. These two, whom God had seen fit to favor above all others who ever lived upon earth, were delegated by the Father to bring the glory of Heaven to his Son, and comfort him, talking with him concerning the completion of his mission, and especially of his sufferings to be endured at Jerusalem.
The Father chose Moses and Elijah to be his messengers to Christ, and glorify him with the light of Heaven, and commune with him concerning his coming agony, because they had lived upon earth as men; they had experienced human sorrow and suffering, and could sympathize with the trial of Jesus, in his earthly life. Elijah, in his position as a prophet to Israel, had represented Christ, and his work had been, in a degree, similar to that of the Saviour. And Moses, as the leader of Israel, had stood in the place of Christ, communing with him and following his directions; therefore, these two, of all the hosts that gathered around the throne of God, were fittest to minister to the Son of God.
When Moses, enraged at the unbelief of the children of Israel, smote the rock in wrath and furnished them the water for which they called, he took the glory to himself; for his mind was so engrossed with the ingratitude and waywardness of Israel that he failed to honor God and magnify his name, in performing the act which He had commanded him to do. It was the plan of the Almighty to frequently bring the children of Israel into strait places, and then, in their great necessity, to deliver them by his power, that they might recognize his special regard for them, and glorify his name. But Moses, in yielding to the natural impulses of his heart, appropriated to himself the honor due to God, fell under the power of Satan, and was forbidden to enter the promised land. Had Moses remained steadfast, the Lord would have brought him to the promised land, and would then have translated him to Heaven without his seeing death.
As it was, Moses passed through death, but the Son of God came down from Heaven and resurrected him before his body had seen corruption. Though Satan contended with Michael for the body of Moses, and claimed it as his rightful prey, he could not prevail against the Son of God, and Moses, with a resurrected and glorified body, was borne to the courts of Heaven, and was now one of the honored two, commissioned by the Father to wait upon his Son.
By permitting themselves to be so overcome by sleep, the disciples had lost the conversation between the Heavenly messengers and the glorified Redeemer. But as they suddenly awake from profound slumber, and behold the sublime vision before them, they are filled with rapture and awe. As they look upon the radiant form of their beloved Master, they are obliged to shield their eyes with their hands, not being able otherwise to endure the inexpressible glory that clothes his person, and which emits beams of light like those of the sun. For a brief space the disciples behold their Lord glorified and exalted before their eyes, and honored by the radiant beings whom they recognize as the favored ones of God.
They believe that Elias has now come, according to prophecy, and that the kingdom of Christ is to be set up on earth. Even in the first glow of his amazement, Peter plans for accommodating Christ and the ancient worthies. As soon as he can command his voice he addresses Jesus thus: “Master, it is good to be here; and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee, one for Moses, and one for Elias.” In the joy of the moment, Peter flatters himself that the two messengers from Heaven have been sent to preserve the life of Jesus from the fate that threatens him at Jerusalem. He is overjoyed at the thought that these glorious attendants clothed in light and power are to protect the Son of God, and establish his kingly authority upon earth. He forgets for the time the frequent explanations given by Jesus himself of the plan of salvation, which could only be perfected through his own suffering and death.
While the disciples were overwhelmed with rapture and amazement, “a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” When the disciples beheld the awful cloud of glory, brighter than that which went before the tribes of Israel in the wilderness, and when they heard the voice of God peal from the cloud, in accents of majesty that caused the mount to tremble as if shaken from its foundation, they could not endure the grandeur that oppressed their senses, and fell smitten to the ground.
Thus they remained upon their faces, not daring to look up, till Jesus approached and raised them from the ground, dispelling their fears with his well-known, cheering voice, saying, “Arise, and be not afraid.” Venturing to lift up their eyes, they see that the heavenly glory has passed away, the radiant forms of Moses and Elijah have disappeared, the Son of God is no longer clothed with a divine radiance so bright that the eyes of man can not endure it,—they are upon the mount alone with Jesus.
The entire night had been passed in the mountain, and as the sun rose and chased away the shadows with its cheering rays, Jesus and his disciples descend the mountain. Gladly would they have lingered in that holy place which had been touched with the glory of Heaven, and where the Son of God had been transfigured before the eyes of his disciples; but there was work to be done for the people who were already searching far and near for Jesus.
At the foot of the mountain a large crowd had gathered, led there by the disciples who had remained behind, and who knew of the favorite resorts of Jesus for meditation and prayer. As they approached the waiting multitude Jesus charged his disciples to keep secret what they had witnessed, saying, “Tell the vision to no man until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” Jesus knew that neither the people nor disciples who had led them to the place were prepared to appreciate or understand the wonderful event of the transfiguration upon the mount. After his resurrection, the testimony of those who had witnessed it, was to be given to substantiate the fact that he was indeed the Son of God.
Now the three chosen disciples have evidence which they cannot doubt that Jesus is the promised Messiah. A voice from the excellent glory has declared his divinity. Now they are strengthened to endure the humiliation and crucifixion of their Lord. The patient Teacher, the meek and lowly One, who, for nearly three years, has wanderedto and fro, from city to city, a Man of sorrows, homeless, having no place to rest, no bed upon which to stretch his weary form at night, has been acknowledged by the voice of God as his Son, and Moses and Elijah, glorious ones in the courts of Heaven, have paid him homage. The favored disciples can doubt no longer. They have seen with their eyes, and heard with their ears, things that are beyond the comprehension of man.
Jesus now returned to his work of ministering to the people. As the throng caught sight of the Saviour, they ran to meet him, greeting him with much reverence. But he perceived that they were in great perplexity. This was because of a circumstance that had just transpired: A man had brought his son to the disciples to be delivered of a dumb spirit that tormented him exceedingly. But the disciples had been unable to relieve him, and therefore the scribes had seized upon this opportunity to dispute with them as to their power of working miracles. These men were now triumphantly declaring that a devil was here found whom neither the disciples nor their Master could conquer.
As Jesus approached the scene he inquired the cause of the trouble; the afflicted father replied: “Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; and wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him; and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away; and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out, and they could not.” Jesus listened attentively to this narration, and then met the failure of his disciples, the derision of the people, and the boasting of the scribes, with these words: “O faithless generation! how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? Bring him unto me.”
The father obeyed the command of Jesus; but no sooner was his son brought into the divine presence than the evil spirit attacked him with violence, and he fell upon the ground in agony, and writhed, and foamed at the mouth. Jesus permitted Satan to exercise his power thus over his victim, in order that the people might better understand the nature of the miracle he was about to perform, and be more deeply impressed with a sense of his divine power. Jesus proceeded to inquire of the father how long his son had thus been afflicted by the demon. The father answered:— “Of a child. And oft-times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the water, to destroy him; but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.” The failure of the disciples to heal this deplorable case had sadly discouraged the father, and the sufferings of his son now wrung his soul with anguish. The question of Jesus brought to his mind the long years of suffering endured by his son, and his heart sank within him. He feared that what the scribes asserted was true, and that Jesus himself could not overcome so powerful a devil. Jesus perceived his dispirited condition and sought to inspire him with faith. He addressed him thus: “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.” Hope was immediately kindled in the father's heart, and he cried: “Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”
The distressed father realized his immediate need of help, and that no one could furnish that help but the merciful Saviour, and he relied alone upon him. His faith was not in vain; for Jesus, before the whole multitude, that flocked about to witness the scene, rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, “Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee come out of him, and enter no more into him.” And immediately the demon left him, and the boy lay as one dead. The action of the evil spirit upon him had been so violent that it had overcome all his natural strength; and when it left him he was powerless and unconscious. The people, who had witnessed with awe the sudden change that came over the lad, now whispered among themselves, “He is dead.” But Jesus stooped and with tender pity “took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.”
Great was the father's joy over his son, and great was the joy of the son in his freedom from the cruel demon that had so long tormented him. Both father and son praised and magnified the name of their Deliverer, while the people looked on with unbounded astonishment, and the scribes, crest-fallen and defeated, turned sullenly away.
Jesus had conferred upon his disciples the power to work miracles of healing; but their failure in this case, before so many witnesses, had deeply mortified them. When they were alone with Jesus they asked him why it was that they were unable to cast out the devil. Jesus answered that it was because of their unbelief, and the carelessness with which they regarded the sacred work that had been committed to them. They had not fitted themselves for their holy office by fasting and prayer. It was impossible for them to vanquish Satan except as they received power from God; they should go to him in humility and self-sacrifice and plead for strength to conquer the enemy of souls. Nothing but entire dependence upon God, and perfect consecration to the work would insure their success. Jesus encouraged his disappointed followers in these words: “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place, and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
In a brief space of time the favored disciples had beheld the extremes of glory and of grief. Jesus, descending the mount where he had been transfigured by the glory of God, where he had talked with the messengers of Heaven, and been proclaimed the Son of God by the Father's voice issuing from the radiant glory, meets a revolting spectacle, a lunatic child, with countenance distorted, gnashing its teeth in spasms of agony which no mortal could relieve. And this mighty Redeemer, who but a few short hours before stood glorified before his wondering disciples, stoops to lift this victim of Satan from the ground where he is wallowing, and restores him to his father, freed forever from the demon's power.
Previous to his transfiguration, Jesus had told his disciples that there were some then with him who should not see death until they should see the kingdom of God come with power. In the transfiguration on the mount, this promise was fulfilled, for they saw the kingdom of Christ in miniature. Jesus was clothed with the glory of Heaven, and proclaimed by the Father's voice to be the Son of God. Moses was present, representing those who will be raised from the dead at the second coming of Christ; and Elijah, who was translated to Heaven without seeing death, represented those who will be living on earth at the time of Christ's second appearing, and who will be changed from mortal to immortal, and be translated to Heaven without seeing death.

Christ the Consolation.

O! the blessed promise, given on the hills of Galilee To the weary, heavy laden, still is made to you and me. Many a heart has thrilled to hear it, Many a tear been wiped away, Many a load of sin been lifted, Many a midnight turned to day.
Many a broken, contrite spirit, lonely, sorrowing and sad, *Felt the mighty consolation*—heard the heavenly tidings glad.** And the dying gazed with rapture— Trusting in the Saviour's name— On the land of rest and refuge; Whence the Consolation came.
Lazarus lies unfed and fainting, Peter sinks beneath the wave, Loving Mary lingers sadly near the Saviour's guarded grave. Blind Bartimeus, by the wayside, Begs his bread disconsolate; For the moving of the waters At the pool the suffering wait.
In the wilderness the lepers wander outcast in their pain; Paul and Silas in the prison bear the fetter and the chain; Mary Magdalene is weeping, Friendless in her sin and shame— But their burdens all were lifted When the CONSOLATION came.
Every phase of human sorrow fills the path we tread to-day; Harps are hanging on the willows, souls are fainting by the way. But there still is balm in Gilead, And though here on earth we weep, God, within the many mansions, Giveth his beloved sleep.
On the cloud his rainbow glitters, shines the star of faith above; God will not forsake or leave us—let us trust his truth and love. And beyond the shining river, We shall bless his holy name That, to bear our sins and sorrows, Christ the Consolation came.

The Two Commandments.

By W. N. Glenn

An incident recorded in Matt. 22:35–40 is claimed as a stronghold of no-lawism. A lawyer, tempting Jesus, asked him, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
The advocates of the no-law theory, as also the first-day Sabbatarians, cite the foregoing as authority for disregarding the original law of God, or for recognizing just such portions as suit them. It seems to me clear that this answer of Jesus is an impartial synopsis and endorsement of the law of God, commonly called the ten commandments.
Let us see if the law as here abridged can be honored in the breach of any of the precepts of the moral law. The first four commandments of the decalogue relate our duty to God; the last six set forth our duty to man, just as stated in the Saviour’s answer to the lawyer. Beginning with the latter duty, I ask, Can one love his neighbor as himself and desire to kill him? Certainly not. Nor can any one thus loving a neighbor be guilty of violating the seventh commandment to that neighbor’s injury. No one would think of stealing from a neighbor whom he loved as himself, or bear false witness against him, or covet his wife or his property. In regard to our duty to God, can any one love him with all the heart, soul and mind, and hold other gods in preference? I cannot; let others answer for themselves. No one can honestly claim to thus love God, and at the same time worship graven images, or take the name of the Lord in vain.
But now we encounter the great stumbling-block—the fourth commandment. Here the mass of professing Christians will dissent from the logical sequence of fair comparison. Here we meet the same inconsistency that always looms up at this point, approach it from whatever side we may. No one claims that we can love our neighbors as ourselves and violate any of the precepts of the moral law regarding those neighbors. No one is bold enough to assert that we can love God with all our hearts while other gods hold a higher place in our affections. No one maintains that we can so love God while taking his name in vain. But many, claiming to worship God in spirit and in truth, persistently argue that they can love him with all their hearts and souls and minds, while giving another day preference over his holy, blessed and sanctified day. They profess to love God thus intently, while honoring a day consecrated to idolatry above the day that the Creator set apart from the beginning as his own, and hallowed it. Here is exposed one of the tricks of the Prince of law-breakers to get rid of the moral code. He first attacked the second commandment (as popularly numbered), and induced the Catholics to set that aside; then he arrayed both Romans and Protestants against the fourth, and finally endeavors to set the whole world to war upon the remainder of the law, by teaching that the whole statute has been repealed by the Lord himself.
If, however, the law hangs on (or is embraced in) two commandments, as taught by Jesus in the scripture above quoted, and these commandments are in force under the Christian dispensation, how then is the law annulled? But the Saviour does not merely say the law hangs on these commandments, but all the law. If, therefore, all the law is thus hinged to that which is admitted by all professed Christians to be in force at the present time, how can any part of it be abrogated?
It is argued by those who desire to get rid of certain portions of God’s law, that Jesus, at the time here alluded to, reduced the number of the commandments from ten to two, virtually repealing the old law and enacting another. In support of this view, Luke 10:25–28 is quoted: “And behold a certain lawyer stood up and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He [Jesus] said unto him, What is written in the law? How readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbor as thyself. And he [Jesus] said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.” This is cited to prove that men may keep but two commandments instead of ten and be saved. But I hold that in this instance also the entire principles of the moral law are concentrated in the condition of life.
But, returning to Matt. 22:35–40, bear in mind that there was no issue at that time as to what day of the week was the Sabbath. This point needed no special reference; the observance of the seventh day was regarded as a part of man’s duty to God—a duty that would not be neglected by any one who loved God with all the heart, soul, and mind. Brevity and comprehensiveness of speech were characteristic of Jesus. His discourses were brief, his commendations and rebukes were brief, and his illustrations were brief and pointed. In his accustomed concise style he gave the substance of the law in what he called two commandments.
It matters not so far as the integrity of the law is concerned, whether it be called ten or two commandments. There is no sacredness about the number ten. True, Moses in some instances termed the law the ten commandments, the more modern Jews are said by Josephus to have so divided it, and by common consent it has been handed down to us as the ten commandments. So there has been so much stress laid upon keeping up the number ten that some have supposed that to reduce this number is to annul part of the law, and others, that to retain the number may apologize for erasing some of the principles. The Romanists desired to evade certain portions of the law; they did so by striking out the objectionable features and trying to cover up their tracks with a redivision so as to preserve the number ten. Moses and Jesus are the only Bible personages accredited with numbering the commandments. Certainly the giver of the law had as much right to embrace it in two divisions as the receiver had to make ten. Neither was necessarily wrong, so long as the matter of the precepts was not changed. Take, for instance, ten verses of the Bible, erase the numbers and divide the matter into two verses; what harm is done, or essential difference made? Clearly, none. The second commandment as enumerated by Jesus is not the same as the second according to Moses, either in language or purport. Jesus mentioned but two, but his synopsis of these comprehends in a few words all the principles of Moses’ ten. The precedent for the number two may have been in the writing of the whole law on two tables of stone. If it is not stated in the Scriptures, what portion was upon one table or upon the other it seems natural to suppose that one stone contained the obligation to God and the other the duty toward man. Paul, in Rom. 13:9, couples the sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth commandments together as one, and says that this (not these), in addition to any other, “is briefly comprehended in this saying, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” The apostle is particularly speaking of the duty to man, and rehearses the substance of that part of the law as one commandment.
In the 8th verse he still further condenses into this expression: “He that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.” Now if the law is fulfilled, there is certainly none of it disregarded or superseded. “Love worketh no ill to his neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.” Verse 10.
The important question is not, Has the number of the popular divisions of the law been reduced in the present dispensation? but, Have any of the provisions of the code been repealed? Did Jesus, in the recital of the two great commandments, or in the declaration that the doers of these should live, make void a single duty enjoined in the moral statute as originally enacted? If he did, there is a stultification somewhere. Jesus had declared that he came “not to destroy the law,” and shall we think that he designed these two commandments to do the very thing he came not to do? Who dares charge the Lord with such contradictory intentions? But a majority of those who teach that the two commandments of Matt. 22 were designed to annul the law of God, at the same time teach that that law remained in force until the crucifixion, and was then and there blotted out by him who had declared that he came not to destroy, but to fulfill it. Verily, the stultification is on the part of the teachers. True, the commandments were grossly violated at the cross by the murderers of the Saviour; but the holy statute was also gloriously honored on that occasion by Him who there gave his life in its vindication.
How absurd to suppose that God would give his Son over to such an ignominious death to vindicate a law that had proved so faulty as to be immediately thrown aside after such a costly vindication. If the law was merely to be repealed, as falling short of its object, that could have been accomplished without the death of our Lord. But God’s unchangeable statute was to be preserved, and sinful men, who could only become sinners by a transgression of the law, were to be saved from the penalty and given another opportunity to secure eternal life by keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus. W. N. GLENN.

Christ Reveals Divine Mysteries

JESUS, in his teachings while on earth, spoke many parables to the people, that he might forcibly impress his truths upon their minds. Our Saviour's mission to the world was to bring to light hidden mysteries which finite man could never fathom, divine problems which the human mind is unable to solve. “Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you.” “Which things the angels desire to look into.” The Son of God came to be a light to the world, to reveal wonders to the children of men that even the angels had vainly longed to understand. He patiently explains the marvelous transformation of sinful mortals into children of God and heirs with himself in the kingdom of Heaven. The introduction of sin had opened the door to every species of suffering and wretchedness, till moral darkness shrouded the earth like a funeral pall; but Jesus the Restorer, brings man into connection with himself and re-creates him in the divine image.

A Strange Accumulation.

THOMAS DICK puts the hoarding of wealth in this striking way:—
Suppose a man could lay up a stock of clothes and provisions sufficient to last him for 300 years, what would it avail him, since he can live at most but from seventy to 100 years? Suppose he laid up in a storehouse 70,000 pairs of shoes, to what end would it serve, if he could make use during his whole life, of only the one hundredth part of them? He would be in the same condition as a man who had 100 dishes placed before him at dinner; but who could only partake of one; or of a person who had 100 mansions purchased for his residence, but who could occupy only one. How ridiculous it would appear if all that could be said of a man while he lived was simply this—that his whole life was occupied in collecting and laying up in a storehouse furniture which was never intended to be used for the furnishing of apartments.
And where is the real difference in point of rationality and utility, between such absurd practices, and hoarding thousands of guineas and bank-notes which are never brought forth for the benefit of mankind? There is no conduct connected with the pursuits of human beings that appears more absurd and wicked (however common), if examined by the dictates of reason and the word of God.
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