Signs of the Times, Vol. 2, No. 15.
SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODYPage 1
These words are used by Paul toward the close of his first letter to the Thessalonians, when speaking of their complete sanctification, and were not, I think, intended by the apostle, as our orthodox friends regard them, as a definition of the constituents of man's being. They were rather to be understood in precisely the same way as Moses' words to Israel, recorded in Deut. 6:5: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Israel's leader little thought, when he uttered those words in the ears of the people, that his language would be afterwards appealed to by religious teachers, to prove that heart, and soul, and might, were each a distinct, rational and intelligent entity, residing during the man's lifetime in his body, and at his death, being delivered from the body's thralldom, would continue to live as a disembodied heart, a disembodied soul, a disembodied might, for perhaps thousands of years; and Paul, I cannot help thinking, had just as little idea that the spirit, soul, and body, which he mentions as belonging to the Thessalonians, would be similarly treated. I do not say that this interpretation has ever yet been put upon the words of Moses, yet I do submit that they bear it as fairly as the paragraph from Paul. Moses, as all admit, meant neither more nor less than that his people should love the Lord their God wholly and heartily; and Paul, I have as little doubt, desired neither more nor less than the entire sanctification of his Thessalonian brethren. Hence his prayer that “your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ;” as if he had said, “I pray God to preserve each one of you blameless, in mind and body, in thought, and word, and deed, wholly and entirely, in life or in death, till the appearing of Jesus.” But suppose that we look for a moment at the subject from the orthodox standpoint, and grant our friends all that they can reasonably claim from the peculiar phraseology of the text, and something more, namely, that spirit, soul, and body, are each separate and distinct entities—the body constituting the covering, or house, in which the soul and spirit live, and through which they manifest themselves. It follows, therefore, that when this wonderful being, who possesses both an immortal soul and a deathless spirit, dies, death cannot, of course, affect aught but the body. The immortal soul and deathless spirit both defy his power, and live on in their disembodied state as rational, conscious beings; now singing with melodious voices redemption's song, then sweeping in strains of matchless melody the strings of their golden harps in Heaven's choir; concluding, for the best of reasons, that death, commonly regarded as man's enemy, has been their best friend, their most glorious deliverer, and looking forward, no doubt, with considerable foreboding to the time when their former prison, the body, shall be raised again and a union effected between them and it for all eternity! Can our friends deny that this is a fair and honest representation of their theory? and if fair, the conclusion cannot be avoided that it completely subverts the hope of the gospel—the resurrection of the dead. They may, however, be unwilling to accept both a soul and a spirit, as surviving the body after the dissolution of the man. Their theory requires but one; and whether we call it an immortal soul, or a deathless spirit, is a matter of indifference to them. But we dare not give them less than Paul, and he says spirit and soul. If he teaches that the “spirit” survives the body as a personal intelligence, he equally teaches that the “soul” does the same; and hence we have two conscious personalities escaping from one body at its death. I am aware how readily my popular friends can substitute spirit for soul, and soul for spirit, when any particular exigency of their theory requires it, but in this (to them) very valuable text, the substitution is wholly inadmissible. Paul makes no wider distinction between body and soul here, than he does between soul and spirit; and as well might we conclude that body and spirit were one and the same, as that spirit and soul were identical. Paul has made all three separate and distinct, and we dare not alter his arrangement. Neither could we venture to prefix to either the very important terms, “deathless” and “immortal,” so constantly supplied by orthodox teachers, though not once mentioned by either prophet or apostle. The most thrilling gospel discourses which ever fell upon human ear from the great Teacher himself and his faithful disciples, contain no such word; and they certainly knew whether man or any part of him, could be truthfully described by such terms. Will our orthodox friends explain the omission? Meanwhile, we might inquire in what sense Paul uses the terms “soul” and “spirit” elsewhere . The noun psuche, usually translated soul, means breath, life, the life principle; and, in its adjective form, as used by the apostle in 1 Cor. 15:44, is placed in opposition to the spiritual, and in the common version is translated “natural.” “It is sown a natural body (soma psuchikon), it is raised a spiritual body (soma pneumatikon).” Now Paul certainly knew that the natural had no immortality of any kind about it, but was destined to pass away and give place to the spiritual and incorruptible; and knowing this, he described it by the term psychikon, the very term which our popular friends have translated “soul,” but evidently fearing that we might be perverse enough to disregard theirs and follow Paul's understanding of it, who knew it to be so perishable as to form a fitting contrast to the enduring and eternal, they introduced “deathless” and “immortal,” and sundry other very comprehensive adjectives to qualify it, though few phrases would have sounded more strangely in apostolic ears than “immortal soul.” Indeed, Let us now look at an instance or two, ere we close, of the sense in which Paul uses “spirit.” In his address to the elders of Miletus, recorded in Acts 20, he says: “I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem.” Who would suppose that the apostle meant by this expression that he was imprisoned within his spirit, or that the spirit was a conscious separate entity, keeping ward over him as its prisoner? The strict phraseology would warrant this conclusion quite as readily as that the “spirit” mentioned in Thessalonians was prisoner to him. His meaning doubtless is, that he was depressed in spirit—that his mind was painfully exercised with forebodings as to what awaited him at the capital. A somewhat similar expression occurs in the preceding chapter. The record reads: “Paul purposed in the spirit . . . to go to Jerusalem.” That is, a mental resolve was made to go there, rather than a declaration that he was inside of his spirit and forming purposes there. These are only some of the absurdities fairly deducible from the attempts of our popular friends to press such expressions as “spirit, soul and body,” of 1 Thess., into an inspired definition of man's constitution. That important information is given us by the most competent authority, just where we might expect to find it, in the opening pages of the Creator's revelation, and a fearful amount of religious error would have been avoided if the brief, though not very flattering statement of the divine architect, “The Lord God formed man out of the dust of the ground,” had been believed. Happy for the religious world if Platonic theories—which are only human fancies at best, regarded more as pleasing speculations than as ascertained facts, even by their authors themselves—had been discarded, and the old paths trod by the patriarchs, prophets and apostles, had been resolutely followed. Be it ours still, however, to press upon the attention of our erring brethren those good old paths, and to say to them in the Master's spirit: “This is the way, walk ye in it.”—Bible Banner. SATAN has had great power over the minds of parents through their undisciplined children. The sin of parental neglect stands marked against many Sabbath-keeping parents. The spirit of gossip and tale-bearing is one of Satan's special agents to sow discord and strife, to separate friends, and undermine the faith of many in the truthfulness of our position. How many families season their daily meals with doubt and questionings? They dissect the characters of their friends, and serve them up as a dainty dessert. A precious bit of slander is passed around the board, to be commented upon, not only by adults but by children. In this God is dishonored. Jesus has said, “Inasmuch as ye have done this to the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” There are many who find a special enjoyment in discovering and dwelling upon the defects, whether real or imaginary, of those who bear the heavy responsibilities in connection with the institutions of God. They overlook the good that has been accomplished, the benefits that have resulted from arduous labor and unflinching devotion to the cause; and fasten their attention upon some apparent mistake, some matter that, after it has been done and the consequences have followed, they fancy could have been done in a better manner with fairer results. When the truth is, had they been left to do the work, they would either have refused to move at all under the attending discouragements of the case, or would have managed more indiscreetly than those who did the work, following the opening of God's providence. But these unruly talkers will fasten upon the more disagreeable features of the work, even as the lichen clings to the roughness of the rock. These persons are spiritually dwarfed by continually dwelling upon the failings and faults of others. They are morally incapable of discerning good and noble actions, unselfish endeavors, true heroism and self-sacrifice. They are not becoming nobler and loftier in their lives and hopes, more generous and broad in their ideas and plans. They are not cultivating that charity that should characterize the Christian's life. They are degenerating every day, they are becoming narrower in their prejudices and views. Littleness is their element, and the atmosphere that surrounds them is poisonous to peace and happiness. The great sin of very many is neglecting to cherish the light which God has given them through his servants. Said Christ to his apostles, “He that receiveth whomsoever I send, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.” There it is made plain that those who reject the messages of God's servants, reject not only the Son but also the Father. Again he says, “But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you; notwithstanding, be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me, and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.” How awfully solemn are these words! How important that we should not be found rejecting the warnings and admonitions that God delivers through his humble instruments; for in slighting the light brought by his messengers, we slight the Saviour of the world and the King of Glory. Many are running this terrible risk and bringing upon themselves the condemnation of God. The Almighty will not be trifled with nor allow his voice to be disregarded with impunity. To the Unbeliever.
By A. Z. H.
EARTH, sea and air, and flower and sky,
Proclaim God's loving hand on high;
And gorgeous sunsets, mountains, trees,
His hand is seen in fashioning these.
And shall his one great work—poor man—
Be left to doubt his God-like plan,
While Nature's own great heart is rent,
To yield him praise, in vast extent?
Why, even birds, and ants, and bees,
Speak forth his praise among the trees.
The lightning's flash, the rainbow clear,
All, all proclaim that God is near! Pause, unbelieving friend, oh pause!
And fight no more against God's laws,
Lest, while you falsely build on sand,
You find no place where you may stand;
For Jesus truly soon will come,
And take his ransomed people home;
And at his brightness, you will call
To rocks and mountains then to fall,
And hide you from the face of One
Whose glory far out-shines the sun.
Too late! too late! the wicked slain—
Within the earth will silence reign—
And darkness great, and wondrous deep,
Enfold the wicked dead who sleep. A thousand years of light and love,
A thousand years with Christ above;
Now once again has come the time,
When light once more, on earth shall shine.
Behold! A city wondrous fair,
Shall cleave through space, and sun, and air,
With burnished gold her streets shall shine,
(The saints of God will whisper, “Mine!”)
While every glistening gate of pearl,
Its brightness flings to darkened world. In thunder tones, the trumpet calls,
The earth now opens up her walls;
The wicked dead at once arise,
And view, with eager, longing eyes,
This wondrous city of the sky,
And wondering still, to her draw nigh. Now Satan, loosed from out his prison,
Will tempt the wicked who have risen;
And they will hear him loudly cry,—
While through the earth he'll swiftly fly:—
“Forward to victory! and to light!
We'll take that glorious city!—fight!”
And swift they form in ranks of war,
For quick the word is heard afar,
And millions fly, in eager haste
To lay this lovely city waste. But God now speaks in trumpet tone,
His voice is heard from zone to zone:
“Let Satan fall! let sinners die!
Then cleanse the earth and purify;
Henceforth my saints shall dwell at ease,
And all their wrongs shall be appeased.”
He speaks the word—the fires fall—
Earth soon becomes a burning pall,
And fires flash from pole to pole.
Ah! unbeliever, where's your soul!
Now will you still consent to stand
Among that God-forsaken band?
Who, still defiant to the last,
Within the burning flames are cast,
Therein to writhe and moan and sigh,
And know ’tis vain to “mercy!” cry.
Oh! if you would not meet this fate,
Believe—obey, before too late! A Sinner for Doing Nothing.
“He made me out a sinner for doing nothing,” was the remark of one who had been awakened under a sermon from the words, “Woe to them that are at ease in Zion!” It was a new thought to the poor man, who had been comforting himself with the plea that he had done nothing very bad! But now he saw that his greatest sin was the very thing in which he had been comforting himself; namely, that of always and forever “doing nothing.” Consider Whether He Has Truth
If any one speaks ill of thee, consider whether he has truth on his side; and if so, reform thyself, that his censures may not affect thee. THE SECOND ADVENT.
By James White
THE TWENTY-FOURTH CHAPTER OF MATTHEW.
(Continued from last issue.) Says Campbell: “Macknight argues that the term know is here used as a causative, in the Hebrew sense of the conjugation hiphil, that is, to make known. His [Christ’s] answer is just equivalent to saying, The Father will make it known when it pleases him; but he has not authorized man, angel, or the Son to make it known. Just in this sense, Paul uses the term know: 1 Cor. 2: 2: ‘I came to you making known the testimony of God; for I determine to make known nothing among you but a crucified Christ.’” Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Gospels, says: “Others have said that the verb rendered knoweth means sometimes to make known, or to reveal, and that the passage means, ‘that day and hour none maketh known, neither the angels, nor the Son, but the Father.’ It is true the word has sometimes that meaning, as 1 Cor. 2: 2.” The Father will make known the time. He gave the period of the flood to Noah, which well represents the proclamation of the second advent, given in connection with the evidence of the termination of the periods of Daniel, during the great Advent movement of 1840–44. And when the patriarch’s work of warning and building was finished, God said to him, “Come thou and all thy house into the ark.” “For yet seven days and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights.” So when the waiting, watching, weeping, toiling time shall be finished, and the saints shall all be sealed, and shut in with God, then will the voice of the Father from Heaven make known the definite time. See Rev. 16: 17; Joel 3: 16; Jer. 25: 30. The present is emphatically the waiting, watching time. It is the especial period of the patience of the saints. In definite time we would find relief from the state of suspense to which our present position subjects us. The Lord appeals to us thus: “Watch ye, therefore; for ye know not when the Master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.” Mark 13: 35–37. Verses 38, 39: “For as in the days that were before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.” A picture of the present condition of the mass of mankind is here drawn. How dark the features! The people of the last generation will be like those before the flood, while the ark was preparing. Noah preached, and warned them of the coming flood, and they mocked. He built the ark, and they scoffed and jeered. He was a preacher of righteousness. His works were calculated to give edge to, and set home to the heart, what he preached. Every righteous sermon, and every blow struck in building the ark, condemned a careless, scoffing world. As the time drew nearer, the people were more careless, more hardened, more bold and impudent, and their condemnation surer. Noah and his family were alone. And could one family know more than all the world? The ark is a matter of ridicule, and Noah is regarded as a willful bigot. But the Lord calls Noah into the ark. And by the hand of Providence the beasts are led into the ark; and the Lord shuts Noah in. This is regarded at first by the scoffing multitude as something wonderful; but it is soon explained away by the wiser ones, so as to calm their fears; and they breathe easier. The day of expectation finally arrives. The sun rises as usual, and the heavens are clear. “Now where is old Noah’s flood?” is heard from a thousand impious lips. The farmer is caring for his herds and lands, and the mechanic is pursuing his work of building. On this very day, some are being joined in marriage. With many it is a day of unusual feasting and sports. And while all are looking to long years of future prosperity and happiness, suddenly the heavens gather blackness. Fear fills every heart. The windows of heaven open, and the rain in torrents descends. “The fountains of the great deep are broken up,” and here and there come gushing up rivers of water. The valleys are fast filling up, and thousands are swept away in death. Some flee to the highest points of land; but the water fast follows them up. Men bear their wives and children to the mountains, but are obliged to part with them there to drown, while they climb the highest trees. But soon they, too, are covered with water, so that there is not a resting-place for Noah’s dove. All are still in death. Horrid death! made still more horrible by being in consequence of slighted mercy! But where is Noah? Ah! safe in the ark, borne upon the billows. Safe from the flood; for God “shut him in.” By most people, the evidences of the soon coming of Christ are considered insufficient to base faith upon. But the testimony and acts of one man condemned the people destroyed by the flood. The evidences then were sufficient, otherwise the world would not have been condemned. But a hundred times more convincing evidences come pouring in upon us that the day of the Lord is near, and hasteth greatly. We follow down the numerous prophetic chains of Daniel and of the Revelation, and we find ourselves in every instance standing just before the day of wrath. We see the signs spoken of by prophets, by Christ, and in the epistles, fulfilling or fulfilled. And at the right time, and in the right manner, to fulfill certain prophecies, a solemn message arises in different parts of the world: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Joel 2: 1. Wherever we look, we see prophecy fulfilling. While the knowledge of God and the spirit of holiness are departing, spiritual wickedness, like a flood, covers the land. But these evidences are considered insufficient to rest faith upon. Well, what kind of evidence would the unbelieving have? “When the signs of the end,” says the skeptic, “are fulfilled, they will be so plain that no one can doubt.” But if the signs are of such a nature, and are fulfilled in such a manner, as to compel all to believe in the coming of Christ, how can it be as it was in the days of Noah? Men were not then compelled to believe. But eight believing souls were saved, while all the world besides sank in their unbelief beneath the waters of the flood. God has never revealed his truth to man in a manner to compel him to believe. Those who have wished to doubt his word, have found a wide field in which to doubt, and a broad road to perdition; while those who have wished to believe, have ever found everlasting rock upon which to rest their faith. Just before the end, the world will be hardened in sin, and indifferent to the claims of God. Men will be careless about hearing warnings of danger, and blinded by cares, pleasures, and riches. An unbelieving and infidel generation will be eating, drinking, marrying, building, planting, and sowing. It is right to eat and drink to sustain nature; but the sin is in excess and gluttony. The marriage covenant is holy, but God’s glory is seldom thought of. Building, planting, and sowing, necessary for convenient shelter, food, and clothing, are right; but the world has gone wholly after these things, so that men have no time nor disposition to think of God, Heaven, Christ’s coming, and the Judgment. This world is their god, and all their energies of body and mind bow down to serve it. And the evil day is put far away. The faithful watchman who sounds the alarm as he sees destruction coming, is held up before the people from the pulpits of our land, and by the religious press, as a fanatic, a teacher of dangerous heresies; while in contrast is set forth a long period of peace and prosperity to the church. So the churches are quieted to sleep. The scoffer continues to scoff, and the mocker mocks on. But their day is coming. Thus saith the prophet of God: “Howl ye; for the day of the Lord is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty. Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man’s heart shall melt. And they shall be afraid; pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them. Behold, the day of the Lord cometh, cruel both with wrath and fierce anger, to lay the land desolate; and he shall destroy the sinners thereof out of it.” Isa. 13: 6–9. Most dreadful day! and is it near? Yes; it hasteth! It hasteth greatly! What a description given by the prophet! Read it; and as you read, try to feel how dreadful will be that day: “The great day of the Lord is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the Lord: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. That day is a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of wasteness and desolation, a day of darkness and gloominess, a day of clouds and thick darkness, a day of the trumpet and alarm against the fenced cities, and against the high towers. And I will bring distress upon men, that they shall walk like blind men, because they have sinned against the Lord; and their blood shall be poured out as dust, and their flesh as the dung. Neither their silver nor their gold shall be able to deliver them in the day of the Lord’s wrath; but the whole land shall be devoured by the fire of his jealousy; for he shall make even a speedy riddance of all them that dwell in the land.” Zeph. 1: 14–18. Now we hear the “peace-and-safety” cry from the pulpit, and all the way down to the grocery shop. “Where is the promise of His coming?” is murmured from the impious lips of a thousand last-day scoffers. But the scene will speedily change. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, … and they shall not escape.” The scoffing of the haughty scoffer will soon be turned to wailing and howling. “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down; and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.” Isa. 2: 11, 12. “And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.” Jer. 25: 33. Verses 40, 41: “Then shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the one shall be taken, and the other left.” This language was designed to illustrate the final separation of the righteous and the wicked. Many husbands and wives, parents and children, brothers and sisters, will then part, never to meet again. THOSE WHO WATCH, WILL KNOW THE TIME.
Verses 42–44: “Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up. Therefore be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.” The day and hour of Christ’s second coming are not revealed in the Scriptures. Neither is the year in which this glorious event is to take place pointed out. No one of the prophetic periods reaches to the second coming of Christ. The sanctuary was to be cleansed at the end of the 2300 days, and Daniel was to stand in his lot at the end of the 1335 days. But that these events occur before the second appearing of Christ, is susceptible of the clearest proof. Both these prophetic periods terminated in 1844. But we cannot give a defense of our position in regard to these periods in this work. The time from the end of the prophetic periods to the coming of Christ is emphatically the waiting, watching time. Those who watch, as our Lord commands, will know the time. No man will make it known; for it is not revealed to man in the Scriptures. Angels will not make it known, though they may minister to, and communicate with, the children of men. Neither will the Son. But the Father will make it known when he speaks again from Heaven. Probably there is no prophecy that better describes the present state of unbelief in the world in regard to the second advent, caused partly by fanatical time-movements, than the following: “Son of man, what is that proverb that ye have in the land of Israel, saying, The days are prolonged, and every vision faileth? Tell them, therefore, Thus saith the Lord God: I will make this proverb to cease, and they shall no more use it as a proverb in Israel; but say unto them, The days are at hand, and the effect of every vision. For there shall be no more any vain vision nor flattering divination within the house of Israel. For I am the Lord: I will speak, and the word that I shall speak shall come to pass; it shall be no more prolonged; for in your days, O rebellious house, will I say the word, and will perform it, saith the Lord God.” Eze. 12: 22–25. The burden of this prophecy is time; therefore the word here mentioned that the Lord will speak, will be the time. Rev. 3: 3, is also to the point: “Remember, therefore, how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.” Those who do not watch, will not know the hour. Those who watch, will know the hour. The present watching condition is clearly defined in 1 Thess. 5: 1–4: “But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety, then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.” The present watching, waiting position requires much faith and patience. Says Paul: “Cast not away, therefore, your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God [in proclaiming the coming of Christ], ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry. Now the just shall live by faith; but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. But we are not of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul.” Heb. 10: 35–39. Says James, “Be patient, therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts; for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh.” Chap. 5: 7, 8. The present position and present duty of God’s people are defined in Rev. 14: 12: “Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.” THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT.
Verses 45–47: “Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord, when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.” In this figure, Christ is represented as the Lord of the household of faith (see Mark 13: 35; Heb. 3: 6), leaving his house, and committing the work of caring for his church to his servants. A blessing is promised those servants who are faithfully discharging their115duty when their Lord comes. They are to feed the flock of God, over whom the Holy Ghost hath made them overseers. Acts 20: 28. They must preach the word. 2 Tim. 4: 2. They should watch for souls as they that must give account. Heb. 13: 17. They will not only give meat to the household, but they will give it in due season. They will preach the present truth. Their last work, before the return of their Master, will be to proclaim his coming, and to teach the necessary preparation. They will sacrifice the society and blessings of home, and go everywhere, preaching the word, suffering fatigue of body and burden of spirit. But such will have great reward in the kingdom of God. “Who is that faithful and wise servant?” Where shall we find him? Ans. He is faithfully and wisely attending to the interests of the household of faith. 1. He is faithful. As a faithful watchman, he will give timely warning when he sees the sword coming. His work just before the end, is seen in the following scriptures: Joel 2: 1: “Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in my holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.” Isa. 58: 1: “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and show my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.” 2 Tim. 4: 1–5: “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom, Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.” 2. He is wise. “He that winneth souls is wise.” He must be wise. He will expose error, then hold forth the truth in its harmony and beauty, and thus win men to the truth. When it becomes his duty to “reprove and rebuke,” it will be at a proper time and place, and then with all “long-suffering and doctrine.” He will study to show himself “approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2: 15. Verses 48–51: “But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to smite his fellow-servants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of; and shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” What the evil servant says and does, shows most clearly the position and work of the faithful and wise servant. Why the evil servant says, “My lord delayeth his coming,” is because the faithful servant is proclaiming the coming of his lord. Why the evil servant smites the faithful servant, is because he teaches the speedy coming of his lord. The faithful servant, true to his commission to preach the “gospel of the kingdom” to a fallen church and a scoffing world, toils on, and the evil servant smites on. One is laying up treasure in Heaven, and is preparing to go home to his eternal reward; while the other is calling down upon his head the displeasure of the high and holy One, and is getting ready to receive the unmingled cup of the fury of the Lord. The faithful servant is turning some at least to righteousness, to shine forever as stars in his crown of glory, while the evil servant pursues his downward course and work of death, making the bitter cup of woe which awaits him still more bitter. But the separating day is coming. The Lord will come, and cut asunder the evil servant, and appoint him his portion with the lost. In the general wailing and gnashing of teeth, with hypocrites he will receive the portion due him for his works. Read the doom of the false shepherds, the ministers of the last generation, who come up to the day of the Lord with their garments all stained over with the blood of souls. They now cry, Peace and safety, and their flocks confide in them. They stand between us and the people, and turn away the arrow of truth. But their day is coming, dreadful beyond description. Thus saith the Lord: “Howl, ye shepherds, and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock; for the days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall fall like a pleasant vessel. And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor the principal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and an howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard; for the Lord hath spoiled their pasture. And the peaceable habitations are cut down because of the fierce anger of the Lord.” Jer. 25: 34–37. Hints for the Sabbath School.
You do not think of going to the week-day school without studying; you dare not. And, besides, you see how foolish it would be; since, without study, how can you learn any thing? And yet how many children go to Sabbath-school, month after month, without studying an hour! They sing a few psalms; they read a chapter or two, listen to the teacher, and possibly answer yes or no to a few questions; but there is no real study. How, then, can they learn any thing? Is not this a great sin? Is God's Word of so little account that you do not care to give it any time, labor, attention? Think of this: you are mocking God, when, in your prayers, you ask him to help you to study his Word and you do not study it. Studious preparation of the lesson, by personal contact with the sacred text, is imperative. Teachers' meetings, commentaries, institutes, and the like, are great helps, but should not be leaned on too heavily. The truly successful teacher is one who turns the lesson over and over in his own mind, and thinks for himself, and masters the lesson for himself. This kind of study will make teachers clear and brilliant. But love and prayer alone can make it warm and effective. When pupils see that the teacher is interested in them personally, and that he tries to make his teaching the means of leading them to Christ, they will listen with deepest interest. We do love active workers in the Sabbath-school cause; we can take them to our heart as brethren well beloved, and it is something for which to be thankful. Oh, that each State might possess a thousand men who would organize Sabbath-schools, work in them and for them, talk about the great work, and excite enthusiasm in regard to it. Would that we could excite so much interest in this noble cause as to make the brethren take hold of it everywhere with earnestness, vigor, perseverance and persistency! What a glorious work—to gather the little ones into the school, teach them about Jesus, sing the sweet songs of Zion with them, behold in them the faint beginnings of a religious life, and see them go on until, with smiles of joy and tears of rejoicing, they join the church, and rise to newness of life! Let what will be said, the children are the hope of church. Nor can we begin too soon, or work too hard, to bring them to Jesus and train them for his service. Brother, sister, are you an active worker in the Sabbath-school cause?