Earlier text: The Christian SabbathTHERE are two questions which here call for notice: one, which has greatly agitated the theological world; the other, which may not be often asked (though it has been), but is often woven into the thoughts of a certain class of professors concerning the future. 1. Is justification by faith of such a nature that we necessarily remain justified, or may we lose it by unfaithfulness?
The points involved in this question are quite too numerous to be noticed in all their bearings in this brief examination; and yet we believe we may arrive at a satisfactory solution of the subject. On all questions of doctrine there may be found some positive declarations of Scripture, which cannot easily be misunderstood; these are decisive, and must control us in our investigations. If we disregard these, and rest our judgment on inferences drawn from texts not so decisive, we can hardly fail to go astray. Inferences may be found on both sides of any question, but positive declarations cannot be found on both sides of any Bible doctrine. Jesus said to his disciples: "I am the vine, ye are the branches." This is a figure, it is true, but it is one which cannot be misunderstood; one which is often used in the Scriptures. We cannot say that all mankind are branches of this vine; all do not bear this relation to Jesus. In Rev. 14:18, 19, we read of "the vine of the earth," whose clusters are to be cast into the wine-press of the wrath of God. Inasmuch as it is said to all, "Ye must be born again," and all are alike "by nature the children of wrath," it is only by being grafted that any of the sons of Adam can become connected with the heavenly vine. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away." What can this mean? There are no branches in him by nature. Can and will unfruitful branches be removed from their connection with this vine? Hear the Saviour again: "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and are burned." We cannot mistake the import of this language. Paul said: "For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ." The same necessity rests upon all, to be baptized into Christ, to put him on, by repentance, faith, and obedience. Will any affirm that we are in Christ, that we have put on Christ before, or without, repentance, faith, and obedience to him? Can we be Christ's, be in him, and be the children of wrath at the same time? We surely cannot. We are not in him by nature. Justification by faith brings us into him. And he says that he who is in him, if he bear not fruit, will be taken away. If a man abide not in him, he is cast forth as a withered branch, to be burned. But, it is objected, Jesus said his sheep shall not perish, nor shall any pluck them out of his hand. That is beyond all doubt. He will surely save his faithful ones. But the promise of their salvation is not without a condition. They must continue patient in well-doing; they must abide in him and bear fruit. There is no power in the universe, outside of ourselves, that can separate us from Christ, or pluck us out of his hand. Here again we ask the question, Are we on probation, or are we not? Paul says we are the house of Christ, "if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end." Heb. 3:6. And Peter exhorts us to make our calling and election sure. 2 Peter 1:10. On this text we shall speak hereafter. All are yet on probation; the present is a state of trial. The decision of the coming Judgment depends upon our manner of life; our diligence or our neglect; our bringing forth fruit or our being unfruitful. Paul warns the converts from the Gentiles by the example of the Jews who were rejected. He says: "Because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear; for if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee." Rom. 11:20, 21. Is this inconsistent with grace? No; it is free grace that has opened the way for our escape from eternal ruin. Grace has made our salvation possible. Grace guides and assists us every step on the way. Grace opens the way and assists us; but grace does not insure our salvation without our availing ourselves of its provisions, any more than favor and good-will would prevent a man starving if he refused to eat the food which was freely provided for him, and freely offered to him. Grace does not destroy the power of choice, nor release us from the duty and necessity of choosing. Grace will assist us in the work of overcoming, but grace will not release us from the necessity of overcoming. Grace will clothe us with an invincible armor; but grace will not fight our battles for us if we sit still and do nothing. It is now as of old: "The sword of the Lord, and of Gideon." Grace threw down the walls of Jericho; but they would not have fallen if the children of Israel had neglected to compass the city as they were commanded to do. Grace saved Noah from the flood; but it would not if he had not built an ark. God has done and will do all that is necessary to make full provision for our salvation. He will fulfill all his promises, if we will fulfill their conditions. But he will never do for us that which he has commanded us to do. Grace encourages trust; it does not tolerate presumption. When the Lord sent Moses to the children of Israel, it was with this message: "Say unto them, the Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which was done to you in Egypt; and I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey." Ex. 3:16, 17. Again he said to them: "And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burden of the Egyptians. And I will bring you in unto the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I did give it to you for an heritage; and I am the Lord." Ex. 6:7, 8. Yet, direct and positive as this promise was, the Lord did not bring them into that land, but destroyed them for their disobedience. Again, it was said to Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my first-born. And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy first-born." Ex. 4:22, 23. The first-born was the highly-prized and beloved. Yet on the institution of the Passover they would have been destroyed with the first-born of Egypt, if they had not remained in their houses and sprinkled the blood on their door posts; and they were afterward destroyed as noticed above. This teaches us that God's chosen, his first-born, will continue to enjoy his favor only on condition of continued obedience. The conditional nature of his gracious promises is shown by his word through Jeremiah, wherein he commanded Israel to obey him, saying: "That I may perform the oath which I have sworn unto your fathers." Jer. 11:3-5. And again, where he has shown the fixed principle upon which he fulfills his promises and threatenings. "At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy; if that nation against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant; if it do evil in my sight, that it does not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them." Jer. 18:7-10. And this is true not only of nations, but of individuals. Thus the Lord said to Eli: "I said indeed that thy house and the house of thy father should walk before me forever; but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed." 1 Sam. 2:30. The Jews had the same false confidence that many Christians now entertain. God had said: "Israel is my son, even my first-born." They were the children of the covenants, and theirs were the promises. Rom. 9:4, 5. They were the especial subjects of God's grace, and they, too, thought, "Once in grace, always in grace." But the very ones of whom he said they were his first-born, whom he promised to bring into the land of promise, fell in the wilderness because of their unfaithfulness. We need to consider well these facts in order to appreciate the apostle's warning in Rom. 11:20, 21. Extent of the Sabbath Commandment.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
ALTHOUGH there is no limitation either in the Sabbath commandment as spoken from Mt. Sinai, or as recorded in Gen. 2 : 1-3, the fact that many claim that it was limited in its application, makes it necessary for us to consider the question, For whom was the Sabbath sanctified? or, in other words, who were commanded to keep the Sabbath holy? When we consider that the day was sanctified, i. e. appointed or commanded, in Eden, there can be but one answer: The commandment was given to those then living. It is not possible that it could have been otherwise; that the account here is anticipative, and that the Sabbath was then sanctified for the use of some future generation. For to every command there must be two parties: the one commanding and the one commanded. A command cannot be made unless some one is present to receive it. In this case God issued the command, and Adam and Eve were the ones to whom it was directed. But they represented all who should afterward live upon the earth. See Gen. 3:20. It follows, then, that the Sabbath commandment embraces the whole world; all who have descended from Adam and Eve. In harmony with this conclusion we have the words of our Saviour, in Mark 2:27 : "The Sabbath was made for man," this can mean nothing less than the whole human race, for the word "man," when used without any limiting word, means "mankind; the totality of men." When the word is limited it means man to the exclusion of women; and no one will claim that women are not under obligation to keep the Sabbath, to whatever race or class of people the commandment is directed. No one will be found bold enough to claim that the word "man" has a different meaning from what it has in Gen. 1:27; 2:7. This being the case, it is manifestly improper to speak of the Sabbath as the "Jewish Sabbath," for it belongs to no special class of men. It belongs to no man at all, but is the property of God; he claims it as his own. See commandment, also Isa. 58:13, etc. If men, regardless of the commandment, choose to rest on some other day, they may call it their Sabbath, or give it any name they please; but the Bible speaks of only one Sabbath, and that is the one that the Lord claims as his own; to apply to that day any other term than that which the Lord gave it, is sacrilege. We see that the commandment as given at creation and renewed on Sinai furnishes no warrant whatever to the idea that the Sabbath was to be local, or was given simply to the Jews. Not only this, but even in the Old Testament it is expressly stated that the Sabbath was not designed for the Jews alone. Thus we read: "Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. . . . Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the Lord, to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer; their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar, for my house shall be called an house of prayer for all people." Isaiah 56:2, 6, 7. The position of the commandment in the law of God is also enough of itself to convince any one that it is binding upon all men. Even profane persons will admit that it is wrong to take God's name in vain; and none claim that there is any privileged class who may swear with impunity. The fifth commandment is almost universally disregarded, yet no one thinks of asserting that its obligation does not extend to all mankind. The sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, and tenth are admitted to be of universal obligation, yet they are no more emphatic than the fourth, and the penalty for disregarding the Sabbath commandment is no more severe than that for violating the Sabbath commandment. It is true that the Sabbath rests solely on the commandment. This is urged by some as an objection. They say that it was always wrong to kill or to steal, but was not always wrong to break the Sabbath, since the Sabbath did not always exist. Hence they claim that the Sabbath is not moral. To this we reply (1) That the Sabbath has existed ever since day and night existed; (2) That God has always been the Supreme Being, and it has always been wrong to disobey him. Therefore whenever he issues a command it is man's moral duty to obey. (3) The Lord claims the Sabbath as his own; he calls it "my holy day;" he has set bounds about it, and forbidden man to trespass upon it; he warns us not to venture to take it for our own use. Now if we violate this commandment, we take that which is not our own, and are guilty of theft, a thing which is admitted by all to be immoral. Many other proofs might be adduced to show the morality of the fourth commandment. There are some who, to get rid of the Sabbath, make the bold claim that none of the law is binding; that it is all done away, and that Christians are under no obligation to law. With such we have nothing to do at present. Yet they bear witness to the fact that the fourth commandment is of as much importance as any of the ten, because they plainly see that in order to get rid of it they have to throw all away. The fact that the law is a unit; that it stands complete as a whole, and cannot be divided, will be noticed hereafter. But although "the Sabbath was made for man," it does not thereby become his property, to do with as he pleases. It was made for his use, not for his abuse. Paul, in 1 Cor. 11:9, says that the woman was made for the man. He does not mean that she was made to be the slave of man, who could be taken or put away at his pleasure, as in heathen lands, but that she was made a help, a blessing to man. So the Sabbath was made for man, i. e., not against him; but it was designed to aid him both spiritually and physically. A farmer who has hired servants may, in order to lighten their labor, buy certain tools for them. But one would suppose that the servants would have any right to sell those tools which their employer had thus purchased. All would understand that he bought them for the servants to use, and to use in his service only. On this subject the "Speaker's Commentary" uses the following forcible language:— "On what principle of legislation can it be maintained that, because laws are imposed by the ruler for the benefit of the subject, therefore they may be dispensed with by the subject at his own convenience? This is utterly untenable as regards the laws of man; still more as regards the laws of God." Opposition to a Woman Preacher
Miss ANNA OLIVER, the lady preacher, who organized a Methodist Church in Brooklyn, and acted as its pastor for four years, has at last found the obstacles too many, and the church which cost $50,000 has been sold for $18,000. There was too much opposition, not because she had not ability and piety, but because she was not a man. Trip to California.
By Stephen N. Haskell
I LEFT South Lancaster, Mass., for California on the evening of March 29, by way of New York City. March 31 and April 1, Sabbath and first-day, I spent at Rome, N. Y., with Bro. Whitney. Had a pleasant time with the friends at this place. The following Tuesday and Wednesday was at Battle Creek, Michigan. I spent some time counseling with those interested in the missionary work. I trust this was a profitable season. There is much interest manifested in the missionary society at Battle Creek, and much evidence of the blessing of God accompanying their efforts. They are now receiving 1,000 copies of the SIGNS weekly, and even this number fails to meet the demand for them by the members of the society. They are also using a larger number of tracts than ever before. They are having correspondence with all the scattered members in Michigan, which has awakened a general interest in the missionary work. They are also canvassing the entire city with our publications. There seemed to be as healthy an interest in this society as in any society I have visited for a long time. Sabbath and first-day, April 7, 8, I spent at Fremont, Nebraska. There is no State that is more interested, as a whole, in the missionary work, than this Conference. Nebraska was one of the first States that adopted the plan of distributing the SIGNS in connection with colporteur work to prepare the way for tent-meetings. This course was attended with marked success. Churches were raised up wherever they followed this plan, until it has become a settled plan with them not to enter a new field and hold a series of meetings unless the way is first prepared by colporteur work; and then the colporteur work is followed up during the time of tent-meeting. They have now eight canvassers in the field, who are meeting with marked success in visiting families and obtaining subscribers for the SIGNS of THE TIMES. The plan which they are following is for certain individuals to enter a new place and secure monthly subscribers for the SIGNS, at fifteen cents each, to be paid for at the close of the month. Then the colporteur will call upon each family once a week, to see that they receive the paper and are interested in its contents. If not interested he will call their attention to some interesting article, and, if possible, get them interested to read. They also carry with them tracts, as they will frequently find persons interested in some points of doctrine, who wish to read further upon it. This course being followed up during the month will develop a class of interested readers for the paper, so that the way is fully prepared for the tent to be pitched in the place. This present season they have more canvassers in the field than they have tents to follow up the interest; therefore their canvassers will continue the work, and seek to awaken a permanent interest by holding meetings with families, and explaining the truth to them, as circumstances may permit. They propose at the end of the month to obtain, if possible, their permanent subscription, with the premium, "Life and Epistles of St. Paul," at $2.25. In other parts of the country they have adopted the same plan of obtaining monthly subscribers and then canvassing with the premium. Thus far it has been attended with unusual success. We think that the plan will be a success wherever it is adopted. Nebraska Tract Society have already ordered their second hundred of "Life and Epistles of St Paul" for their missionary work. Should Michigan and our large Conferences adopt the same course that is being adopted in Nebraska, there might be more than one hundred canvassers in the field acting as colporteurs, using thousands of our publications that are not now being used, and the circulation of the SIGNS of THE TIMES would be increased 10,000 before the autumn of 1883. During the last week, Nebraska has ordered one hundred and fifty copies of the SIGNS in addition to those that they were taking before. These are sent from the State secretary at publishers' rates of postage. The ordinary canvasser will receive from forty to fifty monthly subscribers per week on the plan which they adopt. Quite a portion of these will become permanent subscribers at the end of the month, and not a few, we trust, will finally be saved in the kingdom of God. On Monday, the 9th, I left for California and arrived Friday the 13th. I was happy to meet with the many familiar faces at the Office, and hope that God will make this visit a blessing to the cause on the Pacific Coast. What Is It For?
By Stephen N. Haskell
It is evident that God has a higher object than man's selfish interests, in the blessings which he so richly bestows upon his creatures. He causes the sun to warm the ground where seed has been sown, and the dews to descend and moisten it, so that man may glorify him with the fruit which it brings forth. It is an exalted privilege to acknowledge God in the blessings which we receive. "Make to yourselves friends," says our Saviour, "of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they [the angels] may receive you into everlasting habitations." One tithe of a man's income belongs to God, and if he gives temporal prosperity it is not that the receiver should pull down his barns and build greater, but that the surplus may be distributed to the poor, and used to help forward the cause of our divine Lord and Master. God has given us speech that we may praise him, and recommend him and his truth to our neighbors and friends. He has endowed us with a degree of intellect, so that we may in some way contribute to the advancement of his work upon the earth. "The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully, and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits? And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all of my fruits and my goods. And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" The prosperity was designed of God to contribute toward helping forward his work on the earth, and to give man an opportunity to co-operate with angels, and thus lay a good foundation against the time to come, and secure to himself eternal life. There are times in every man's life when God opens before him opportunities for transferring his interests, both with respect to temporal and intellectual matters, to the other shore. The god of this world often so blinds the mind that the pearl of great price is unseen, and the opportunity offered is passed by. Persons will wait for wider and more extensive opportunities until their love for this world becomes so great that the heart's affections cannot entwine around heavenly things. It is then that the door will close, and they will be left to their own embarrassment and folly. The burden will be laid upon others—some, perhaps, who have learned in poverty how to sacrifice—and they will come to the front, bear responsibilities, and at last receive the crown which God so freely offered to those of greater ability, and under more favorable circumstances. Where much is given much will be required. Our responsibility to God is in proportion to what he has committed to us. How deceitful is the human heart! When under certain circumstances we can love God seemingly with all the heart; but when prosperity comes, we forget him and cling to our earthly substance. God is moving upon men who will heed his voice. Bro. [name omitted] in the South, owning a farm of over seven hundred acres, valued at not less than twenty thousand dollars, embraced the Sabbath from reading our publications. Having never become acquainted with any of like faith with whom he could counsel, but having seen the names of our leading brethren in the Review, he decided that he would effect an organization in his own State, and make these men, whose names he had seen, trustees, and then deed his property to them. His object was to secure it to the cause, in case he died before he should make a final disposition of it himself. This was simply acting out his faith in the near coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He had never heard a sermon on present truth, but was well informed on it from reading. There are many such men who will make friends of the mammon of unrighteousness, and enter the kingdom before others to whom God has given great light and many privileges. Oh that men would be wise and consider their latter end. "Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you," will be said to many who are rich in this world's goods, in a little from this. "Sell that ye have and give alms," are words addressed to those who are looking and watching for the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faith and Presumption.
By Ellet Joseph Waggoner
A RELIGIOUS journal thinks that the following by a Sunday-school boy is the best definition of faith that it ever saw:— "As near as I can make out, it is feeling perfectly sure of a thing when you have nothing to back it up." But that is not a definition of faith at all. It is more nearly a definition of presumption; in fact, it is an exact definition of presumption. We have known persons to whom the truth on the Sabbath question had been presented, and who had tried in vain to find even an excuse in the Bible for Sunday-keeping, to settle down complacently into their old habits, expressing their firm faith that God would not punish them, because they had so much love for him. Now their condition is exactly expressed by the above definition; they felt perfectly sure of a thing when they had nothing to back it up. They were positive that Sunday is the Sabbath, although they could not bring a scrap of evidence to support their belief. They had strong faith that God would not punish them for violating his law, although he has plainly declared to the contrary. They had no faith at all; they were simply presumptuous. No doubt the man whose case is recorded in the sixteenth chapter of Numbers felt "fully assured" that he was all right. He did not believe that God was going to punish a man for so small a thing as picking up a few sticks on the Sabbath-day. He had too much faith in God and his goodness to think he would do such a thing. And yet his case is left on record as a typical case of presumption. But "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." That is the inspired definition of faith. It cannot be that our contemporary ever read the eleventh chapter of Hebrews. There can be no faith without evidence. The Christian religion requires the exercise of less credulity than any other system of religion known. There are no men on earth who are so "perfectly sure" of a thing, when they have "nothing to back it up" as modern infidels. They are always positive in their opinions, while at the same time they have literally "nothing" upon which to base them. According to the definition given, infidels would be men of the greatest faith; but they are simply terribly presumptuous. We repeat, there can be no faith without evidence. The Christian may have the "full assurance of faith," and he has no lack of matter with which to "back up" his belief. We believe that there is a God; all nature declares the fact. "The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork." The "invisible 'things" of God, i. e., "his eternal power and Godhead," are clearly seen from the things that he has made. We believe the Bible to be the true word of God, because the prophecies bear, beyond all cavil, the marks of inspiration, and their fulfillment cannot be denied. But the Bible is so harmonious, and all its parts are so closely interwoven that it all stands or falls together. Nothing within the range of human reason is so easily demonstrated, as that the Bible is what it purports to be,—the inspired word of God. We can then rely on the testimony of the Bible as on first principles. So when it assures us that the Lord will come the second time, and that his coming is near, we know it; and we can point to the evidence. And when we are told that in order to enter into life we must keep the commandments, we dare not presume upon God's mercy by walking in a way which he has declared leads to death. We must confess to having so little faith that we cannot feel perfectly sure of a thing when there is nothing to back it up. It is true that the Christian often seems, to the outside observer, to be walking blindly; to be accepting things as true, without having any evidence. But this is only seeming. It seems so because the skeptic looks at things from a different stand-point. A picture will often present a vastly different appearance when viewed in one position, from what it does to a person standing somewhere else. So there are things connected with God and his truth which worldlings can never understand. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Many things that appear perfectly reasonable to the Christian, and for which a perfectly logical reason can be given, are foolishness to the skeptic. It is as true now as ever, that "if any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine." There is no guess-work about the religion of the Bible. E. J. W. North Pacific Conference.
By Charles L. Boyd
My meetings at Pleasant Home closed a week ago. The attendance and interest for the most part were good. The opening of spring, which brought a rush of work, together with a temporary sickness on my part, prevented as favorable an issue of these meetings as was hoped. A Sabbath-school was organized, and a club of ten Instructors ordered. I hope to see others added to this little company of such as will stand in the great day of God's wrath. Last Sabbath and first-day I spent at East Portland. This church has had some trials to pass through, but the outlook is encouraging. A deacon was elected, and properly set apart for his important duties. At the missionary meeting, held on first-day, reports showed this to be a working company. There are evidences that some of the seed being sown is falling on good ground. To all missionary workers I want to say, Be of good courage; sow the precious seed wherever an opportunity may be found, then watch and cultivate it with tender care. Much good seed sown on fruitful soil is lost for want of proper care. I fear such sowers are not doing altogether "well." IN the excitement and whirl of existence the days pass and opportunities pass. While wearied and worn at night one lies down sometimes with the feeling as though very little real good had been accomplished. The great work of life has been left all undone. Yet probably in no life does the day come and go but some opportunity for making some fellow-being stronger, purer, and better has been offered. And if, at the close of life, we would truly feel and know that the mission of our life has been accomplished, it will only be by letting no opportunity for right action slip by us; no opportunity which the Holy Spirit shall incite us to seize upon as our proper work. For, without the direct guidance of the Holy Ghost, much well-meant but misdirected and misguided effort will be undertaken. It is the consecrated soul which always finds the right opportunities. First, to drink from the fountain-head, and then to give of the healing water to other thirsty ones, is the Christian's life work. And to those who are truly willing to do that work which is given them of their heavenly Father, the ways are constantly being opened up in which they may work for him acceptably. Every opportunity which offers is a fresh incentive to prayer first, then effort afterward. Effort first and prayer afterward is not the best way to economize force or strength, or to make the most and the best of opportunities that may arise. But the truly zealous soul will seek for guidance in every matter which arises and claims a share of attention, putting by nothing without commending it to the care of his heavenly Father, and thus seizing in the true and proper spirit upon every opportunity for doing good, meanwhile enlarging his own mind and soul, and thereby laying up many treasures in Heaven. The same opportunity never offers twice. Another may be given equally important, perhaps, yet it is not the same, and never can be. Therefore the duty of the hour is the one to be seized upon as the one pressing and important for the hour. Crises and mighty occasions are but the culminations of many little and seemingly unimportant details, all of which need attention in their proper place and order. The watch-word of all loyal and true-hearted followers of Jesus ought therefore to be, "the duty of the hour," or, in the language of the apostle, "Doing good as ye have opportunity."—Sel. A PERSIAN proverb as translated by the French, says: "O, square thyself for us; a stone that may fit in the wall is not left in the way." Ill Doers Are Ill Thinkers
Ill doers are ill thinkers. “I AM aware that there is a prejudice against any man engaged in the manufacture of alcohol. I believe that from the time it issues from the coiled and poisonous worm in the distillery until it empties into the hell of death, dishonor, and crime, that it demoralizes everybody that touches it, from its source to where it ends. I do not believe anybody can contemplate the subject without becoming prejudiced against that liquor crime: “All we have to do, gentlemen, is to think of the wrecks on either bank of the stream of death; of the suicides, of the insanity; of the poverty, of the ignorance, of the destitution; of the little children tugging at the faded and weary breasts; of weeping and despairing wives asking for bread; of the talented men of genius it has wrecked, the men struggling with imaginary serpents, produced by this devilish thing; and when you think of the jails, the almshouses, of the asylums, of the prisons, of the scaffolds upon either hand, I do not wonder that every thoughtful man is prejudiced against this stuff called alcohol. “Intemperance cuts down youth in its vigor, manhood in its strength, and old age in its weakness. It breaks the father’s heart, bereaves the doting mother, extinguishes natural affections, erases conjugal loves, blots out filial attachments, blights parental hope, and brings down mourning age in sorrow to the grave. It produces weakness, not strength; sickness, not health; death, not life. It makes wives, widows; children, orphans; fathers, fiends, and all of them paupers and beggars. It feeds rheumatism, nurses gout, welcomes epidemics, invites cholera, imports pestilence and embraces consumption. It fills your jails, supplies your almshouses and demands your asylums. It covers the land with idleness, misery, and crime. It engenders controversies, fosters quarrels, and cherishes riots. It crowds your penitentiaries and furnishes victims to your scaffolds. It is the life blood of the gambler, the element of the burglar, the prop of the highwayman and the support of the midnight incendiary. It countenances the liar, respects the thief, esteems the blasphemer. It violates obligations, reverences fraud, and honors infamy. It defames benevolence, hates love, scorns virtue, and slanders innocence. It incites the father to butcher his helpless offspring, helps the husband to massacre his wife, and the child to grind the parricidal axe. It burns up men, consumes women, detests life, curses God, and despises Heaven. It suborns witnesses, nurses perjury, defiles the jury box, and stains the judicial ermine. It degrades the citizen, debases the legislator, dishonors statesmen, and disarms the patriot. It brings shame, not honor; terror, not safety; despair, not hope; misery, not happiness; and with the malevolence of a fiend, it calmly surveys its frightful desolation, and unsatisfied with its havoc, it poisons felicity, kills peace, ruins morals, blights confidence, slays reputation, and wipes out national honors, then curses the world and laughs at its ruin. “It does all that and more—it murders the soul. It is the son of villianies, the father of all crimes, the mother of abominations, the devil’s best friend and God’s worst enemy.” A TORN Gospel of Mark, given in Orissa to a man who could not read, was one of the most important links in the chain through which the church at Khunditiur was formed, which has been in existence some forty years, and from which some of the best Orissa preachers have come. A tract, the "True Refuge," received at Chittagong, led to the formation of the church at Comillah, in eastern Bengal. This same tract has led many others to Christ. Tract distribution lay at the foundation of the great work in Backergunge. The "Jewel Mine of Salvation," and other tracts, have been wonderfully blessed in Orissa. A Gospel and tract given on a tour in Assam to a Garo man led to his conversion, and eventually to the commencement of that promising work of the American Baptists in the Garo Hills, where there are now a thousand church members or more.—Selected. THE man in church who sings heartily knows less of the discords and disagreeable tunes than the other one who sits as a listener. It is so in anything—he who is actively engaged in work, helping with might and main, sees infinitely less to complain of than his lazy brother who is nothing better than a critic.—United Presbyterian. Liquor Traffic in Chicago.
A LICENSE to sell liquor in the city of Chicago costs $52.00 a year. Four thousand saloons are enjoying the privilege on these terms. To these saloons can be attributed at least nine-tenths of the crimes which come under the cognizance of the police courts. The very insufficient police force cannot be increased, we are told, because the income now yielded from the heaviest tax on real estate and personal property which the law permits is inadequate to the demands upon it. Meanwhile, crime is rampant. Hideous cases of "sand-bagging" have been frequent of late, and in nearly every instance the robbers have escaped arrest. The expenses of charitable institutions of all sorts have increased largely, in consequence of the squandering of earnings in drink at the "respectable saloons" which the Staats Zeitung informs the public "are for the laboring classes a positive necessity." The easy conclusion is that the liquor-sellers should share the enormous burden which their business imposes upon the community by paying a higher license, and a popular demand has been made for a uniform license fee of $500. After long consideration, the Common Council have at last shamelessly recognized the dram-sellers as their masters by refusing every proposition to raise the license, voting down even the modest demand that it be fixed at $104. But we are not without a remedy. The subject is now before the Legislature, and it seems probable that a bill will pass which fixes the license fee for cities at not less than $500, while the Nebraska rate, $1,000, finds many supporters. It will find more, when the news comes of the disgraceful action of our City Council.—"Canute," in Examiner.